St. John's mobile acute care facility (foreground) was set up a short distance from the heavily damaged hospital.

Just seven days after it was hammered by the nation's deadliest tornado since 1939, it reopened as St. John's Mercy Hospital—a fully functional, 60-bed mobile acute care facility offering 24-hour emergency, surgery, imaging and lab services as well as inpatient care. Sisters of Mercy Health System, of which St. John's is a part, says the MASH-type facility will serve Joplin residents until Mercy develops plans to rebuild and resume comprehensive services in the community.

Michael Loftus of St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Mo., which is also part of the Mercy system, was a member of a team of pharmacy personnel that went into the Joplin hospital three days after the tornado to remove narcotics and chemotherapy medications.

"It is unbelievable the shape the hospital is in," he reported to SNHPA by email. "We entered it in full protective gear. I can’t imagine what the hospital staff went through, in their work attire, trying to maneuver 183 patients to safety."

The hospital's main lobby is filled with broken glass and debris from the violent storm.

"Despite the fact that five people lost their life in the hospital," he continued, "it is obvious by the damage that without the quick efforts of the hospital staff and community, the number of deaths would have been much higher."

All members of the Joplin hospital's pharmacy staff had been accounted for, Loftus said. Six of them, however, lost their homes to the storm. "They are all in good spirits despite the tragedy and determined to keep a positive medical presence for Mercy in the area," he said.

SNHPA connected Mercy with Direct Relief USA, a nonprofit organization that provides free medications and medical products in response to emergencies. Damon Taugher, the group's director, told SNHPA via email this week that Direct Relief has been in touch with St. John's pharmacy department and was trying to arrange a shipment of tetanus and possibly some other items to its temporary facility.

As a consequence of the deadly weather in Missouri, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius declared a public health emergency throughout the entire state. In turn, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) activated its 340B Drug Pricing Program Flexibilities During Disasters policy and is temporarily accelerating the start dates for new 340B sites in Missouri so that they begin participating in the program immediately. Under the emergency-situations policy, HRSA allows providers already enrolled in 340B to dispense pharmaceuticals to displaced patients and makes it easier for new entities to register. Click here for more information.