Hospitals prepare for biggest winter storm in years

An enormous winter storm is projected to hammer communities and states across much of the country, bringing snowfall totals some areas haven’t seen in years.

Hospitals and health systems are preparing to deal with the storm, which could affect travel for a couple of days. More than 230 million people, or two in three Americans, could be affected by the storm, and some areas could see one to two feet of snow, The Weather Channel reports.

Cities such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. could see their highest snowfall totals in a decade, while other cities could get the most snow they have seen in several years, the National Weather Service says.

Ryan Coyle, senior manager of media relations at WellSpan Health in central Pennsylvania, said the system is getting ready for the storm.

“Our staffing within emergency departments and hospitals has the ability to flex to meet the needs of our patients,” Coyle wrote, adding, “it’s important to note that our emergency departments will always remain open.”

• Read more: From hurricanes to wildfires, hospitals must plan for disasters

Planning for staffing and supplies

Kyle Snyder, president and chief operating officer of Penn State Health, said in an email to Chief Healthcare Executive® that the system is preparing to maintain operations at all of its hospitals and outpatient facilities. Those plans include ensuring the system has enough drugs and other critical supplies to get through the storm.

“Our emergency preparedness and operational teams are closely monitoring the storm and coordinating readiness plans to ensure we can continue caring for patients throughout the event,” Snyder said. “This includes measures to maintain the safety of our buildings and grounds and maintaining essential services across our facilities.”

Snyder also said the system is planning to have enough staffing, and for employees who may not be able to get home for a while.

“We are also making accommodations to ensure team members have safe places to stay if they are unable to leave after their shifts due to weather conditions. We are also working closely with patients and their families to minimize any disruption related to the storm, while prioritizing the safety and comfort of everyone in our care,” Snyder said.

While health systems are making plans for maintaining staffing and patient care inside the hospitals, they also are making plans for managing patients who have been getting care at home.

Managing patients at home

More hospitals are offering hospital-at-home programs, but those patients need to be seen by nurses in person, and roads may be impassable.

Ann Kunkel, WellSpan Health’s vice president of community health, home care and hospice programs, said the system is planning for patients getting acute care at home.

“The care teams with our hospital-at-home program are staying in close contact with patients and their families, making advance plans to ensure their care needs are met and that they have sufficient supplies,” Kunkel said via email.

“The safety of our team members is a top priority and where appropriate operations will shift to virtual visits and phone call visits,” she said. “Plans are in place to shift certain patients into our hospitals if needed, to ensure they continue to receive the appropriate level of care.”

UVA Health in Virginia was advising patients on its websites that some clinics and services could be affected by the storm. The system advised patients to check with their providers before going to appointments.

The storm is expected to bring snow into some southern states as well.

Tennova Healthcare, based in eastern Tennessee, is also taking steps to get ready.

“We have secured surplus supplies including mobile back-up generators and fuel to continue our services without interruption,” a Tennova spokesperson told WLVT-TV.

Blood shortages

The American Red Cross has been dealing with a blood shortage, and the winter storm could cause more headaches. The Red Cross says its blood supply has dropped by 35% over the past month, and that drop could be linked to the high flu activity across the country. Hospitals say this winter has proven to be one of the roughest flu seasons in years.

Ahead of the storm, the Red Cross was urging donors to make an appointment to donate blood. (Go to RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767).

With the snowstorm hitting much of the Northeast during the weekend, it will likely cause fewer disruptions in procedures and appointments than a storm during the week. But there will likely be weather-related injuries, and emergencies happen at all times. And pregnant women near their due date can’t exactly hit the pause button until the storm lifts.

Unlike some emergencies such as tornadoes that hospitals face with little warning, health systems have had notice with this storm. The National Weather Service and forecasters have been predicting this winter storm will have a major impact. So hospitals and health systems have had time to make preparations.

Michael Wargo, vice president of HCA Healthcare’s Enterprise Emergency Operations, told Chief Healthcare Executive® in an August 2025 interview that health systems need to plan for readiness in severe weather events constantly.

“We educate, we train, we drill, and that's what comes to readiness because we've identified the risk, we identify the impacts, we mitigate it through education, training and equipping our employees and our responders, that if that risk comes to fruition, they know what to do, when to respond, how to respond, and we can address the risk or the threat immediately,” Wargo said.

• Read more: How hospitals can improve emergency readiness beyond big drills