Five Days at Memorial is a book by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Sheri Fink that tells the story of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans. The book is based on Fink's extensive research and interviews with doctors, nurses, and other staff who were at the hospital during the disaster.
The book begins on August 29, 2005, the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans. The storm caused widespread damage and flooding, leaving much of the city without electricity or running water. At Memorial Medical Center, the staff worked tirelessly to care for their patients as the conditions at the hospital deteriorated. They were soon faced with the impossible task of deciding which patients to evacuate and which to leave behind.
As the days went on, the hospital became increasingly isolated, with no way to communicate with the outside world and dwindling supplies. The staff struggled to keep their patients alive and maintain their own sanity in the face of overwhelming challenges.
One of the most poignant parts of the book is the story of the "death committees," groups of doctors and nurses who were tasked with deciding which patients should be prioritized for evacuation. These decisions were not easy, as they had to weigh the needs of each patient against the limited resources available.
Despite the best efforts of the staff, several patients died at Memorial Medical Center during the five days of the disaster. The book tells the heart-wrenching stories of these patients and the families who were left behind.
Overall, Five Days at Memorial is a powerful and poignant book that offers a glimpse into the human cost of natural disasters. It is a testament to the bravery and dedication of the doctors, nurses, and other staff who fought to save lives during one of the worst storms in American history.
Five Days At Memorial Summary Example
First off, the situation was an unprecedented one, and as such, left those in leadership positions with the task of forming the best possible course of action under disastrous circumstances. Pop to those four patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Strain was an unfortunate result of a disastrous situation. New York Times 4 Sept. Fink in her interviews speaks to her talent, her persistence, and her ability to persuade most participants to speak their minds. Pop and her nurses. Save for some unexplained factual omissions and instances when the author seems to inject enough commentary to question objectivity, there is little to fault with this book or that which will detract from its usefulness to those interested in the medical humanities, especially medical ethics and the history of medicine.
Five Days at Memorial (TV Mini Series 2022)
Because resources ere limited, and because the primary provider for those patients on the seventh floor had seemingly left them for dead, she was faced with making a decision that would ultimately impact every single patient in the hospital. . Of the individuals who's deaths were hastened through lethal injection at MAC, someone in their life, whether it be they or their family members, had made a decision for them to have a do not resuscitate DNA order on their chart. Being forced to care for patients without clean water, electricity, sanitation, and food, puts healthcare workers in an entirely different environment. The physicians, who were in charge of the care of each individual that underwent lethal injection, took n oath to do no harm. We see Virginia and Butch meet at a bar, where she tells him she is done. In this section, Fink moves about more quickly and introduces a new cast of characters who are involved in the investigation into the alleged crimes.
Five Days at Memorial season 1, episode 8 recap
Emily Goodhue and Colin D. Pop's decision to bring an ND to those four lives comfortably, rather than respecting their autonomy and leaving them to slowly deteriorate and presumably die on their own terms. Pop's actions were aligned with the best interests of all involved parties, there are recommendations I would make to ensure controversial situations like this do not happen in the future. In cases of disaster and mass-casualty, reality becomes temporarily altered and survival of the group takes precedence over the survival of individuals. Although a reader might think that this situation was a complete anomaly born out of the unique events that occurred at one crazy hospital, Dr. It is a "moral toothache" precisely because there are no details, no closure as to motive, and no explicit narration of the events by the participants. Pou freaks out and needs to throw water in her face to calm down.
Five Days at Memorial
A sweet little moment where she shares the story of how she met Emmett and how their relationship started. This could have saved her from legal implications, but it may have also forced her to allow the deteriorating patients to consume the limited resources as they anointed to approach death. Retrieved April 30, 2014. Also, these people might not show up if faced with these decisions. Pop and the patients at MAC were facing in the aftermath of Hurricane Strain, various issues are brought to light. On August 30, however, the staff at MMC began to see evidence of the breeched levees as water rose around the hospital.
