The two New Iberia hospitals are getting ready for whatever a Gustav landfall brings with it.

Trevis Badeaux, director of public relations and marketing for Dauterive Hospital, said the hospital has begun working with preparedness officials, EMS, law enforcement and other first responders to ensure the hospital’s plan is ready to be implemented.

Dauterive CEO Alan Fabian said the hospital will “remain open to serve health-care needs of the first responders and others in the region as the storm comes through.”

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“We have a dedicated team of administrative staff, physicians and other staff that will be in house before, during and after the storm,” he said.

Badeaux said the hurricane plan does not call for an evacuation of the entire hospital unless there are extreme circumstances.

Fabian said “not even a hurricane can blemish the hospital’s dedication and promise to the communities it serve.”

Iberia Medical Center has also begun preparations for the approaching storm, though its official hurricane plan is activated once the storm enters the Gulf of Mexico said Ellen Switzer, marketing coordinator for the hospital.

“We have been receiving updates of the progress of the storm,” she said. “We have a five-stage plan, which we are advanced in now. We are assessing patients to determine who might be discharged and what potential transfers we will need. Those assessments will continue throughout the afternoon.”

Switzer said the hospital’s five-stage plan includes no circumstances that she can foresee the facility closing its doors. The hospital has staff ready to man the emergency room, which will remain open in the event of a mandatory evacuation.

Nursing Homes

Teche Area nursing homes and assisted living centers are also in preparation mode for Hurricane Gustav, although that planning started long before this month.

Garden View Assisted Living Center regional director and administrator Sharla Aloisio said state mandate requires the living center to have an evacuation plan in place in the beginning of each year.

“If they are calling a mandatory evacuation, then we have two sites we can go to,” she said. “We already have written agreements. We have transportation already. We have a bus and two vans. We already have everything lined up, and I’ve already called every family member in this facility and we have everybody’s agreement in writing on paper.”

Garden View Assisted Living Center has 58 residents in its facility but Aloisio said only 14 will evacuate with the company if necessary because the rest are staying with family.

“We’ve never had to evacuate (before),” she said. “For (Hurricane) Rita, we didn’t even lose power. We had family come and stay with us because they didn’t have power.”

Consolata administrator David Landry said the facility at 2319 E. Main St. in New Iberia has never evacuated before. However, Landry said buses are already lined up with a transfer location secured.

Responsible for 98 people, Landry said the nursing home has an evacuation plan in place, although because his facility has never evacuated before, he knows things will not work 100 percent according to plan.

“I’m sure something will go wrong because it always does, but we’ll be ready to move,” he said.