Helping those in need is the very essence of health care, and our dedicated mission here at HealthONE. When disaster strikes, HealthONE responds in full force. Even before Hurricane Ike made landfall on Sept 12th, HealthONE was on the move. Over six days, 23 nurses were sent to the Galveston area on behalf of relief efforts.
Deployment began during Thursday night’s pre-storm on September 11th. By Friday morning, all area airports were shut down.
We were the only hospital open between Houston & Galveston. Plus, we were right off the highway. We had an immense number of people coming in because no one else was open, other facilities were flooded, there was no electricity and generators were down. I was first assigned to Telemetry, then to the holding area for ER where I saw the impact full force. -Andrea, Telemetry RN
How do you manage such chaos while still taking care of patients? You rely on the strength of a company with the resources in place to dispatch healthcare professionals when and where they’re needed. At a moment’s notice. In fact, by Sunday morning post-storm, airports remain closed. HealthONE secured a corporate jet to transport additional Denver nurses to the Galveston area.
In hurricane relief missions and their aftermath, our nurses worked tirelessly under challenging conditions. They respond quickly and willingly to provide care to the patients we serve, and relief and support to their comrades in arms.
Wherever help is needed, that’s where I go. I’ve worked with nurses from all over the US.
…When hurricanes happen, it’s so devastating for the staff there as well. A lot of the nurses have property damage to deal with, and some have lost their homes entirely…they still have families to take care of…. and they’re trying to cope with it all while still working. As part of the disaster recovery team we’re helping the facility, who’s obviously seeing an abnormally high volume of patients, which in turn allows nurses to take time off, just have a break while we’re there, and alleviate their workload…anything to decrease the stress on every level, that’s why we do it. –Lorena, RN
The coordinated team effort and spirit of HealthONE is truly inspirational. The quick response to patient and local staffing needs, and the countless resources that were sent to the Galveston area to help provide for our patients, employees and physicians was nothing less than spectacular. It is at times like this that the values and compassion of our team really shine through.
Between 9-11-08 and 9-16-08, 23 nurses were sent to the Gulf Coast Division, deployed by AAS, on behalf of the Continental Division for Hurricane IKE relief.
Nurses were deployed in 4 Waves:
- Thursday Night Pre-Storm
- Friday Morning Pre-Storm and just before Houston Airports closing
- Sunday Morning Post-Storm, Airports remain closed, Corporate Jet secured for additional Denver Nurses
- Tuesday evening Post-Storm, Airports re-opened
- Athene Brigham RN Wichita AAS
- Lorena Kite RN Wichita AAS
- Kaele Marzuez RN PSL
- Neoldina Panek, RN AAS Denver
- Phyllisa Rozansky RN PSL
- Cynthia Bailey RN TMCA
- Amy Lameer RN PSL
- Kathy Morris RN PSL
- Rhonda Wenke-Spillman RN Wichita AAS
- Jessica Zentner RN Denver AAS
- LeeAnn Pettingill RN Denver AAS
- Jill Shively RN Denver AAS
- Anna Francis RN Denver AAS
- James Taylor RN Wichita AAS
- Hillary Marsh RN Denver AAS
- Angela Hill RN Denver AAS
- Jen Mosier RN TCMA
- Segren Anderson RN Denver AAS
- Andrea Hutchinson RN Denver AAS
- Ryan Curry RN Denver AAS
- Tina Hicke RN Denver AAS
- Diane Villavicencio RN TCMA
- Tracy Allen RN PSL
Corporate Jet Sunday a.m. group L to R:
- Laurie Eubanks RVPO AAS
- Jen Mosier TCMA
- Tina Hicke AAS
- Tracy Allen PSL
- Nina Panek AAS
- Kaele Marquez PSL
- Kathy Morris PSL
- Phyllisa Rozansky PSL
- Cynthia Bailey TMCA
THANK YOU!
Now that I have had a chance to catch my breath, I just wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your incredible efforts in assisting the Gulf Coast Division during Hurricane Ike. You all deployed 152 Nurses, Respiratory Therapists and Pharmacists to this division. I can’t begin to describe the relief that this provided. You could hear it in the voices of the CNO’S when they would learn that help was on the way. As you know, their own staff were exhausted, worried about their families and homes. Your efforts allowed many of our nurses to sleep and return to their patients to provide safe patient care.
I know that All About Staffing provided great relief during Hurricane Katrina and Rita, but I had no idea the amount of teamwork that is involved in identifying and deploying so many clinicians from all over the United States. We are very fortunate to have AAS leaders who will look beyond their regions to ensure patients receive the care that they deserve. I am proud to be a part of the AAS team and I will always be appreciative of your support during this devastating disaster.
Sincerely,
Connie
Connie Cowan, RVPO
Gulf Coast Division
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"Our nurses worked tirelessly under some challenging conditions. Our sincere appreciation goes out to all who responded so quickly and willingly to provide care to the patients we serve. The coordinated team effort and spirit of HealthONE and HCA was inspirational."
Laurie D. Eubanks RN, MBA
Regional VP Operations, Ethics and Compliance Officer
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