Grey’s Anatomy’s characters may be kind-hearted doctors, but they’re often distracted by egos, love triangles, constant chaos, and wild medical mysteries that someone will eventually solve. Sure, they want to help others and save lives, but drama gets in the way.
But L.A.-based nurses and doctors are putting everything aside right now and focusing on getting through the tragedy of the Los Angeles fires. Nurse and TikTok user @helenegrauer shared how she and her co-workers are handling a hospital power outage because of the fires: passing trays of food to one another in a stairwell.
One user summed up this moving scene and commented, “That line is all different coats and uniforms. THAT IS A FAMILY. That is a network that cares about their patients.” Others wrote, “healthcare workers deserve the world” and “Thank you guys for continuing to show up for the patients.”
Some asked if the hospital had emergency generators that would keep the elevators running. While this LA hospital most likely had an emergency generator, the fact that the nurses were standing in a stairwell suggests that they couldn’t use the elevators at this time. As emergency doctor Mary Meyer, MD, MPH explained for Med Page Today, when a disaster like this occurs, every part of how a hospital normally operates is changed in an instant. Things can get scary for those patients already in the hospital if someone is on dialysis or needs oxygen. Patients who are in dire situations are also prioritized over more regular checkups. During the Tubbs Fire, there were 70% more “acute care visits” at Petaluma Hospitals and Santa Rosa Memorial.
Considering how smoothly hospitals need to run to assist with a wide array of injuries and illnesses, it’s easy to imagine how terrifying and challenging it is to deal with a wildfire like this one. For example, when the University Health Network in Toronto went down in Aug. 2024 due to wild winds, a few hospitals had to scramble during the stressful situation. And that was only for a brief amount of time.
What’s even more challenging than operating a hospital during a power outage? When wildfires force a hospital to shut down. Several health clinics and the West Valley Health Center couldn’t stay open as of Jan. 8 and Jan. 9 because of the fires. Given how many people need help during this time, it’s awful to imagine having even fewer resources than usual. In Aug. 2023, when a terrible storm led to a power outage in LA, over 200 patients had to be relocated. A woman even gave birth and a doctor used a flashlight.
These stories are reminders of the beauty of teamwork and how resilient people can be when they have to be. When doctors try to cheer patients up and focus on working together, it’s easy to forget the astronomical costs of having a baby and, well, pretty much every medical procedure done in a hospital setting.
It’s the people working there who matter and who make every stay a good (or a terrible) experience. The nurses and doctors at Helene’s hospital are some of the good ones, and they should feel proud of what they’re accomplishing during a tragic situation. And I hope that once this tragedy is over and rebuilding has taken place, they can enjoy some serious R&R.
