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Flood Waters Pose Their Own Risks
Houston (September 3, 2017) - In the wake of this catastrophic weather event, flooding is increasingly an issue in many of the communities around the Greater Houston area.
High-water is the most pressing threat and doctors at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic encourage everyone to adhere to the wisdom of government officials – stay inside your home as long as it is safe to do so and evacuate when an evacuation order for your area is made.
But this isn't the only concern that flooding brings – flood waters can play host to a myriad of other contaminants including communicable diseases, animals that can cause injury like ants, snakes and alligators as well as floating debris that can cause injury to those wading in the water.
"We encourage those affected by the flood to practice extreme caution and to only expose yourself to flood waters if it is absolutely necessary," said Nicholas Solomos, M.D., Family Medicine doctor at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic. "Allowing children – and adults – to play or wade in the flood waters is dangerous. The safest thing residents can do at this point is to shelter in place unless a mandatory evacuation order is made for your area."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention outline some of the potential issues residents affected by the floods could face, including:
- Diarrheal diseases – eating or drinking anything contaminated by flood water can cause diarrheal disease
- Other infectious diseases – one of great concern in the Houston area is the potential for contracting Hepatitis A – others include norovirus, rotavirus, etc.
- Wound infection – open wounds and rashes exposed to flood waters can become infected
- Trench foot – occurs when the feet are wet for long periods of time
- Chemical hazards – flood waters may have moved hazardous chemicals from their normal storage places
- Other injuries – drowning, animal and insect bites, electrical hazards, wounds (sharp objects may injure those wading in the waters)
“At this time, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is monitoring the current weather conditions and will provide updates on kelsey-seybold.com. We ask that patients seeking care check the website for frequent updates – if you are experiencing a life threatening or medical emergency, please call 9-1-1,” said Dr. Solomos.
About Kelsey-Seybold
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is Houston's premier multispecialty group practice, founded in 1949 by Dr. Mavis Kelsey in Houston's renowned Texas Medical Center. More than 850 physicians and allied health professionals practice at 40 locations in the Greater Houston area. Kelsey-Seybold offers quality medical care in 65+ medical specialties. The organization operates the largest freestanding Ambulatory Surgery Center in the state of Texas and offers state-of-the-art Varian TrueBeam and Varian Edge radiation therapy technology at a nationally accredited Cancer Center. An accredited Sleep Center, comprehensive laboratory services, advanced imaging and diagnostics, 24 onsite Kelsey pharmacies and one specialty pharmacy, and MyKelseyOnline, a secure web portal, are part of its comprehensive offerings. Kelsey-Seybold partners with major insurers to offer value-based commercial health plans. KelseyCare Advantage, a Medicare Advantage plan offered to Houston-area beneficiaries and affiliated with Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, has achieved the coveted 5-out-of-5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for eight consecutive years.
Kelsey-Seybold has been recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as the nation’s first accredited Accountable Care Organization and is home to a nationally accredited Breast Diagnostic Center and Endoscopy Center.
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic achieved a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 91. NPS is the global standard for measuring customer loyalty and satisfaction. An NPS score of 70 or higher is considered by industry experts to be "world class" and an indicator of overwhelming customer loyalty.