The notably active 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which just came to a close, put the essential ways that hospitals and health systems serve their communities front and center. Hurricane Helene, which impacted six different states, and Hurricane Milton, the Gulf of Mexico’s strongest late-season storm on record, both defined the season. As disaster struck, hospitals and health systems rallied to provide critical relief to the hundreds of thousands of community members and patients impacted. The rapid response of hospitals and health systems nationwide was essential to recovery efforts, with many of the most compelling stories reflecting the around-the-clock dedication from first responders, caregivers and other hospital team members.
While hospitals are often viewed as first responders to a disaster or public health crisis, their extensive work preparing in advance is crucial to meeting the moment. Preparing for Helene and Milton consisted of ensuring adequate supplies, setting up mini-marts, fuel stations, showers, laundry systems, and other necessities, to name a few examples. Many hospitals in Florida invest heavily in flood protection, which keeps patients safe and critical supplies intact. HCA Healthcare stationed mobile units that provided 3,000 feet of flood control barriers in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tampa General Hospital stocked up on more than five days of supplies and preserved 5,000 gallons of water, in addition to deploying their own “aquafence” to withstand flooding. Hospitals don’t just respond to crises when they happen. They prepare themselves and their entire communities for crises before they happen, so everyone, including the most vulnerable, can continue to receive the care they count on despite the conditions.
Hurricane Helene ravaged many communities in North Carolina and across the Southeast. Lifepoint Health operates several hospitals throughout the hurricane-affected area, all of which worked to restore power and internet and preserve access to clean water, food, and supplies. Carolina Public Press noted that hospitals managed by HCA Healthcare, Duke, Lifepoint, UNC Health, and AdventHealth received assistance such as extra staff and supplies from their larger health systems. For example, to bolster its hospital in hard-hit Asheville, HCA deployed more than 400 nurses from their hospitals around the country. Additionally, HCA provided tens of thousands of gallons of fuel, and brought in more than 200,000 gallons of water per day during the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. While the hurricanes’ impact was most felt in the southeastern United States, hospitals from coast to coast deployed staff and supplies to pitch in for the relief effort.
At 4 a.m. during Hurricane Milton’s surge, one couple desperately needed hospital care as the time arrived for the birth of their son. NBC News detailed how Kenzie Lewellen and Dewey Bennett welcomed their child at Sarasota Memorial Hospital as the hurricane raged around them. Shortly after arriving at their hospital facility through brutal hurricane conditions, Lewellen underwent an unexpected C-section procedure.
Lewellen shared, “I was just on my own, by myself, and I was very scared. If I didn’t have the doctors and the nurses that I had, it would have been a whole lot worse.” Sarasota Memorial Hospital reported that six successful births occurred during Hurricane Milton.
Hospitals can only play these vital roles if they are sufficiently resourced. Nationwide, more than 700 hospitals are currently at risk of closing, many of which serve rural communities. Our hospitals serve as anchors that help stabilize patients, families, communities, and entire regions at exactly the times when other systems are failing. We must protect and strengthen the 24/7 hospital care that we all count on, through thick and thin.