Teamwork keeps Hines VA Hospital patient care running after flood

Sterile Processing Service, or SPS, cleans and sterilizes all reusable medical equipment. Without it, medical care could grind to a halt.

"It's one of the worst places this could occur, and you never expect it to happen, but it did," said Dawn Wujcik, an emergency manager at Hines VA.

Rapid Mobilization and Mutual Support

As liquid flowed into the once-sterile room, Hines VA officials contacted VISN-12, which oversees the area's VA medical centers. The network responded immediately. Hines VA worked with Jesse Brown VA Medical Center and Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center to use their processing equipment and set up a shuttle system to transport instruments between hospitals.

VA facilities in Wisconsin also offered support to ensure medical care continued without delay, Wujcik explained.

"We were able to shift our processes seamlessly," Wujcik said. "We worked side by side and made sure that emergent and urgent procedures were never disrupted. It truly was a team effort."

Since the flood, Hines VA’s SPS staff have been split between Jesse Brown, Lovell, and a small lab at Hines, away from the damaged area, according to Derrick Kemp, Assistant Chief of Hines SPS.

Staff working at Jesse Brown now manage sterilizations for most Hines VA services. They initially worked alongside the Jesse Brown team using their equipment for both facilities, Kemp said.

However, Jesse Brown is preparing for a significant SPS upgrade in 2026 and was installing a temporary sterile processing trailer at the time. As Jesse Brown staff accelerated their move into the mobile space, Hines VA staff remained in the soon-to-be-renovated area, explained Spiro Encina, Deputy Chief of SPS at Jesse Brown.

"Instead of slowly transitioning to the trailers, we had to move quickly, but it was necessary," Encina said.

In the initial days after the flood, Hines couldn't match the number of sterilizations conducted previously. Over subsequent weeks, it steadily increased its capacity to clean and shuttle more instruments each day, according to Kemp.

“Many people don’t realize how much goes into SPS until it stops working,” Encina remarked. 

A Model for Resilience

For Hines VA’s director, James Doelling, the flood was a surprise, but the outpouring of help from fellow VA facilities was not.

“VA is built for this, and many patients likely didn’t know anything happened because our contingencies were so effective,” Doelling explained. “VA is the largest integrated health care network in the nation, with more than 170 medical centers and over 1,000outpatient clinics. When one hospital faces a challenge, the wider network steps up.”

It’s a view shared by Jesse Brown VA’s director, Chris W. Cauley.

"Veterans rely on us, and everyone in VA takes that responsibility seriously," he said. "Opening our doors to Hines VA staff was an easy decision. The camaraderie and professionalism on display made me proud to work for the VA."

Throughout the closure, staff and executive leaders monitored patient outcomes and the timeliness of procedures. Some non-urgent procedures at Hines VA were rescheduled immediately after the incident, but all urgent and emergent care continued without disruption. 

Patient surveys note a 3.6-point increase in Veterans reporting timely appointments, medical care, and information for primary care during the period compared to the summer. Inpatient surgery patients reported 100% satisfaction and willingness to recommend Hines VA to others.

“It really shows what our teams can do together,” Wujcik concluded. 

Renovations to Hines VA SPS, including diverting the pipe, are scheduled to conclude in spring 2026.