IDABEL, Okla. -- McCurtain Memorial Hospital will remain on lockdown until further notice after receiving a second bomb threat Thursday.
The hospital was again forced to evacuate patients and staff, and CEO Brian Whitfield wants the person making the bomb threats to realize how disruptive it is for critically ill patients to be evacuated.
"More than anything, I just want to say it's a significant disruption. Making calls of this nature to a health care facility can cost people their lives," Whitfield said Friday in an interview with the Gazette.
On Thursday, the hospital was cleared by law enforcement in about an hour, and everyone returned to the hospital.
Both bomb threats happened since release of an audio recording in which several county officials, including the sheriff and two county commissioners, could be heard making violent and racist statements.
In the first threat, the caller said a bomb at the hospital would be detonated if the county officials did not resign.
Whitfield said the hospital does not condone the behavior of those officials and that the people on the recording should resign.
"Until they do, it's probably going to make the temperature here toxic," he said.
However, the hospital still works closely with the county on numerous issues, Whitfield said.
"It's a small community, and we work together but we don't condone what was said," he said.
During Thursday's evacuation, there were 12 patients in the medical/surgery unit and eight in the emergency room, Whitfield said.
One patient was experiencing an end-of-life situation when the evacuation was ordered.
"The patient was joined by the family, spending their last moments with this patient, when the threat was called in, resulting in evacuation. The family, already devastated at their impending loss, had to leave. We also had to move this particular patient, who should have been left alone and allowed to rest in peace," Whitfield said.
Additionally, while returning patients to the hospital after the all-clear, another patient presented at an unstaffed, unprepared emergency room with a potential cardiac arrest.
"Our staff was focused on our patients and getting them back in the hospital when this emergency arrived. Fortunately, because of the rapid response to the hospital ER by medical staff, we were able to meet this patient's needs and avoid a potentially bad outcome," Whitfield said.
Another complication was a local blogger who posted on social media the location where patients were relocated to.
"This is disturbing and selfish," Whitfield said. "You should be ashamed as your actions could have placed multiple people in danger. Our staff and patients are most vulnerable when moved outside of the hospital. The area is limited on where we could relocate patients in such a situation, and we are now forced to change locations and will for future events."
Whitfield expressed appreciation to McCurtain County Emergency Medical Services and to local law enforcement, including the Choctaw Tribal Police, for their assistance.
MMH will also be implementing stiff security measures that will include a "hard lockdown" at the hospital that will remain in effect until further notice.
McCurtain County Commission Chairman John Wayne Williams had a metal detector delivered to the hospital for the the emergency room waiting area entrance, Whitfield said. The Choctaw Nation has also donated a metal detector. All employees and visitors must enter and exit through that entrance. There will be no bags, purses, backpacks or other carrying cases allowed inside the hospital.
Other security measures include:
Only the patient seeking outpatient services may enter the hospital. Once the outpatient procedure is completed, the patient will be escorted out of the hospital, and loitering will not be permitted.
Visitation will be restricted to two visitors per patient per day. All visitors will be subject to entering through the metal detector and will not be allowed to bring in any purses, bags, backpacks, etc.
The MMH Cafe will be open to the public, but all must enter through the same emergency room waiting entrance and are subject to passing through the metal detector. Loitering or moving about the hospital will not be permitted.
Patients who visit the ER for treatment must come into the hospital alone, unless they are under the age of 18 and may be accompanied by one adult. There will be no exceptions to this policy unless administration approves an a end of life situation is possible.
"The FBI and other law enforcement is working to determine who is making these calls and causing disruption and we are confident that law enforcement will find out who is responsible. We also will push for very aggressive prosecution of anyone determined to be involved," Whitfield said.