Broken Pipe Delays Surgeries at Hospital
A broken copper pipe sent a stream of water flowing into the basement of the North Hollywood Medical Center on Wednesday, forcing a temporary halt to surgical procedures and the closure of the emergency room, officials said.
The 1-inch pipe broke about 10:45 a.m., “creating a flood in our basement where the [operating room] and emergency room suites are housed,” said hospital spokeswoman Frankie Dworsky.
Officials said that at one point, about a quarter inch of water covered the basement floor of the medical center at 12629 Riverside Drive.
Repair and cleanup crews responded quickly to the leak, Dworsky said, preventing damage to electrical equipment used in the operating and emergency rooms.
“It didn’t affect patient care at all. We are in the process of cleaning it up and it will be business as usual tomorrow,” Dworsky said.
Around noon, hospital administrators began diverting potential emergency room patients to other area hospitals. About a dozen nonemergency surgery patients had to reschedule their operations, officials said.
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