[Marie Ann Pierre Philippe]

In my view, one of the critical decisions that played a pivotal role in preserving lives in this chapter was the choice to prioritize the evacuation of critically ill infants. Given the malfunctioning ventilators, nurses also made life-saving decisions by administering air puffs through ambu-bags to patients reliant on ventilators. Furthermore, they made the crucial call to transfer patients through an opening in the wall to expedite transportation to the helipad more efficiently. Perhaps the most heart-wrenching decision, resulting in loss of life, was the one not to rescue patients with a “Do Not Resuscitate” (DNR) status. The individuals in charge undoubtedly faced impossible choices during this tragic situation, but opting to leave the most vulnerable patients behind had to be agonizing. Additionally, the decision to halt the airlift due to staff exhaustion, though understandable, undoubtedly had fatal consequences. Balancing the well-being of rescuers against the urgency of saving lives presented a difficult dilemma, and precious time was lost by suspending evacuation efforts until morning.
The individual calling for rescue in the middle of the night was a Caucasian man dressed in military fatigues. It seemed like his intention was to create a diversion, potentially allowing for theft and looting to take place. The hospital also became a temporary shelter for pets because both the staff and other individuals seeking refuge there were unwilling to abandon their animals at home, where they might have faced starvation or harm during the hurricane. The Cloverleaf served as a landing site for helicopters to drop off people. The significance of the Cloverleaf lies in its role as the drop-off location, but it lacked the capacity to provide essential necessities such as food, shelter, transportation, and medical care.
“Mark was totally shook when he walked into the hospital to help his mom and found out that the staff had bounced. He might have been peeping the situation from afar, but he had a point: those folks might have been totally burnt out and swamped, but it’s still their job to keep things positive and keep patients and fam calm.

The evacuation priority system was whack, ’cause it didn’t follow the standard triage rules of putting patients first based on their medical needs.
Sometimes, going all utilitarian isn’t the move, ’cause it’s all about maxing out the good for everyone, and it can straight-up ignore individual rights and what people care about. A better way to do it could be mixing some utilitarian thinking with principles like fairness, justice, and respecting people’s dignity. Doing triage medicine is no joke, ’cause you’re stuck making some tough calls when you’re stressed out and don’t have enough to go around.
When it comes to sharing organs, the right way is to put the patients who need ’em the most at the front of the line and make sure it’s all fair and square.”

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