NEW YORK – As New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered the evacuation of hospitals in low-lying sections of Manhattan in anticipation of Hurricane Irene’s landfall, North Shore-LIJ health system began removal of patients from two of its hospitals and set up an emergency command center.

In response to an evacuation order from the city and state, North Shore-LIJ’s 775-bed Staten Island University Hospital began evacuation efforts Thursday night at its North and South campuses, Michelle Pinto, director of media relations for North Shore-LIJ, said Friday.

She said because of recent eastward changes in the track of the storm, the health system also decided to evacuate Southside Hospital in Bay Shore. Beginning Friday afternoon, Southside’s approximately 250 patients were to be transferred and transported with clinical staff to other North Shore-LIJ hospitals and other facilities.

Pinto did not have details regarding precautions being taken by the hospitals health information technology team to protect systems and ensure up time, and IT personnel were not available to take calls on Friday.

Senior leaders and emergency preparedness staff at North Shore-LIJ’s Center for Emergency Medical Services (CEMS) in Syosset, N.Y., are in constant contact with the health system’s 15 hospitals and other facilities to ensure they have the staffing and resources they need to weather the storm, Pinto said.

At Mount Sinai Queens, a 235-bed community hospital, Shelly Felder, senior director of marketing and communications, was part of a disaster plan meeting Friday morning.

She said hospital personnel were checking to make sure all wires to all IT systems were off the floor and all connections were secure. In the event of a power outage, the backup generators would kick in to keep the systems operating, she said. If the communication systems went down, personnel were instructed to use text messaging.

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, which is composed of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, issued this statement on Friday:

"In preparation for Hurricane Irene, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is taking every step possible to ensure the safety of our patients and staff.  We have an emergency preparedness plan in place, and we are working closely with government authorities."

At North Shore-LIJ’s facilities throughout Long Island, Queens and Manhattan, officials instituted a range of contingency plans, including ensuring that all hospitals and long-term care facilities have a sufficient number of power generators, portable air conditioners and other emergency equipment that will be needed in the event of power outages.