Hurricane forces patients to be transferred to Jacksonville-area hospitals

13 patients from Myrtle Beach moved to Memorial Hospital, OPMC

Eric Ault

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two Jacksonville-area hospitals opened their doors to more than a dozen out-of-state patients under evacuation orders in response to Hurricane Florence.

HCA Healthcare said it transferred 13 patients from Grand Strand Health in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to Memorial Hospital and Orange Park Medical Center.

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News4Jax met one man from Myrtle Beach who was at Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville on Thursday. 

Eric Ault said he's impressed by all the agencies that made sure patients got to hospitals where they could be treated.

"It was actually kind of neat. It worked like a well-oiled military operation," Ault said. "I'm here because I potentially need colon colorectal surgery, so they had to find a facility that had a good colorectal surgeon to be able to move me to. Clearly, it was a big technical operation."

Ault said his treatment has been top-notch and he's making the best of the situation. 

With Grand Strand Health closed for the hurricane, HCA Healthcare has established a way for families to find out where their loved ones have been transferred. Just dial 1-844-582-2350.