That means kidney patients won't be shut off from dialysis, and people with pacemakers should have no problems heading into the new year. And speaking of midnight on Dec. 31, most hospitals plan to have extra clinical and administrative staff available in case they are needed to respond to Y2K or other emergencies. St. Francis and other hospitals will hold staff over from their evening shift for a while, so a double staff will be temporarily available in case of emergencies. Hospital operations have to proceed without interruption. Most are not scheduling patients for elective surgeries or other treatments during the holiday period, and many are adjusting their contingency plans for this particular New Year's Eve.
Officials say hospitals already have existing contingency plans, complete with generator backups.
A few hospitals are going a step further and telling their patients about their Y2K work, Bristol Hospital in a patient brochure and the Eastern Connecticut Health Network in a press release. The health network includes Manchester Memorial Hospital in Manchester, Rockville General Hospital in Vernon and the Woodlake at Tolland nursing home. One trouble spot remaining for the maternity hospitals is the state's birth registry program. The system, called AVSS, is used by the maternity hospitals to report birth information to the state Department of Public Health. In some cases, using two-digit dates could mean the wrong date will be printed on a child's birth certificate.