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ROCKLEDGE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - As Hurricane Matthew moves toward our area, several area hospitals are following a mandatory evacuation and moving patients.
Cape Canaveral Hospital began moving patients early Wednesday and Wuesthoff Medical Center in Rockledge made that decision later in the evening, out of an abundance of caution.
Operations at Wuesthoff Medical Center in Melbourne are continuing and there are no plans to evacuate the hospital at this time. Appointments for elective surgeries, imaging studies, outpatient therapies, etc. are canceled until the storm has passed.
Orange County Fire Rescue is currently responding to a request for assistance, through the State Emergency Response Plan, to move 77 patients from the Rockledge facility. It was not immediately known where they were being transported.
The Florida Hospitals in Volusia and Flagler counties, which composes the Florida Hospital East Florida Region, have taken protective actions for patients and staff as well.
Florida Hospital Flagler in Palm Coast began evacuations Wednesday and will continue into Thursday. Those patients will be transferred to other Florida Hospital facilities. At this time, the Florida Hospital Flagler emergency department is currently open for medical emergencies.
The emergency department at Florida Hospital New Smyrna in New Smyrna Beach will close at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6.