Book 202: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink

I like books about healthcare. I work in healthcare in a non-clinical capacity and I absolutely love what I do. I always wanted to help others through my work, and I'm proud to say I finally found the career that allows me to do that.

With that being said, having worked in a hospital setting, this book was pure hell for me to read. It is the story of Memorial, a community hospital in the heart of New Orleans, during and immediately after Katrina hit the region. It is also the story of the bureaucratic nightmare of a response from both the U.S. government and Memorial's corporate leadership.

I had absolutely no idea that people were stuck in hospitals with no power, limited oxygen, and utterly foul conditions following Katrina. So much of the media focused on the people huddled at elevated sections of highway and sheltering at the Superdome. I never knew anything about Memorial or the other hospitals discussed in this book. In writing this book, Sheri Fink enlightened me on why hospitals now commit whole teams to creating emergency preparedness plans. 

This book is disturbing. If you have any emotional trauma around death or dying, don't read it. If you have a hare-trigger gag reflex, don't read it. But if you want to appreciate a community hospital and the people who do the work to care for others, read this book. The author profiles so many medical professionals who were faced with impossible odds and no way out, and still found the energy and compassion to save lives. But it isn't all heroism. Five Days at Memorial is a stark reminder that a lack of accountability and communication can be a death sentence to those who are in our care.

If you are a healthcare professional, you will be moved to tears multiple times in reading this book.