Kalamazoo hospital accepting ambulances again after flood diversion

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Bronson Methodist Hospital is diverting ambulance traffic to other area hospitals because of historic flooding around the campus.

The hospital will still see walk-in patients to the emergency department, Carolyn Wyllie, Bronson spokesperson, said in a press release. The hospital is on diversion to new patients except for patients of the Bronson BirthPlace and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which are both located on Bronson's north campus.

As of Friday morning, the Kalamazoo River level reached 11.25 feet, surpassing the record set in 1947 of 10.94 feet, according to city officials. The river is expected to continue to rise in the next 24 to 48 hours to 11.4 feet, and flooding is expected to worsen.

"With the uncertainty of an unusual weather event and not knowing what will happen, we try to limit the number of people in our facility and wait until the weather threat subsides," Wyllie said.

Wyllie said Bronson has implemented its standard emergency preparedness plan and has a team in place to keep the hospital safe an operational in the event that flood waters reach the building.

Anyone planning to visit a patient at Bronson should be aware of the closed roads in the area. The city of Kalamazoo has kept an updated road closure map at https://kalamazoocity.org/alerts. Parking is available at Bronson's Vine Street Ramp or at Bronson's North Campus.

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