SPOKANE, Wash. — When fires forced the evacuation of nursing homes and hospitals across the Spokane area on August 1st, hundreds of vulnerable patients — many wheelchair-bound or hospitalized — were displaced from their homes with little notice. Nearly three weeks later, many remain scattered across temporary facilities, highlighting the cascading effects of the disaster on the region’s healthcare system.
The evacuations created an unprecedented strain on receiving facilities across Spokane and Spokane Valley, which absorbed patients at maximum capacity while their original facilities remained closed or inaccessible.
Mosley Ralpo, who was evacuated from Spokane Health and Rehab, described the fear of the moment. “I was scared because I didn’t know where I’m going,” Ralpo said.
Dozens of patients from Spokane Health and Rehab were transported by bus and van to temporary homes across the region. Aurora Valley Care in Spokane Valley became one of the receiving facilities, taking in 11 patients from Spokane Health and Rehab alone on the day of the evacuation.
Jacqueline Palozzolo, executive director of Aurora Valley Care, said the facility immediately reached maximum capacity. “Residents who need assistance with activities daily living on a 24 hour basis, medication management, I.V. antibiotics, breathing treatments — anything like that — we can definitely take care of in this type of setting,” Palozzolo said. “I would say that taking in the 11 residents and meeting all of those things with be, you know, five hours plus is definitely it takes a toll.”
The influx of patients created a domino effect across the healthcare system. Hospitals, facing their own space constraints, immediately contacted intake teams at receiving facilities to determine bed availability. “The next day that this happened, they immediately reached out to our central intake team and asking, how many beds do we have available? Right. Because they had to make room in the hospital themselves,” Palozzolo said.
This cascade of displaced patients has strained not only individual facilities but the entire nursing home network across Spokane. Staff at receiving facilities worked to ensure evacuated patients received proper care while managing their existing patient loads.
The situation has gradually improved as some facilities have reopened. The VA Medical Center has welcomed all evacuated patients back to their original facility. However, Spokane Health and Rehab, which evacuated dozens of patients, remains closed. According to the facility’s voicemail, it expects to reopen Monday.
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