Officials: Power interruption at NUMC had no impact on patient care

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Officials say a power interruption at Nassau University Medical Center late Saturday afternoon had not impact on its patient care. Fire officials said they responded to the hospital around 4:30 p.m. because the third floor smelled like smoke. The East Meadow Fire Department said it quickly determined there was no fire nor a carbon monoxide leak. According to a statement from Nassau Health Care Corporation, the facility experienced an interruption in electric service due to a blown fuse on equipment that feeds into the hospital. Emergency room operations were diverted for about 45 minutes. Regular power was back up and running shortly before 6 p.m. The statement added that backup systems began to operate to ensure that all critical operations and patient services continued without interruption. Patients were not evacuated but some people who were waiting inside the hospital were temporarily asked to leave. "Everyone that was in the building was told to leave. Patients and what not were managed by the lateral evacuation processes handled by NUMC," explained East Meadow Fire Department Public Information Officer James Kane. The hospital said its staff "responded swiftly and performed admirably" during the incident. Furthermore, the hospital thanked the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management and the East Meadow Fire Department for their quick response. "