Preparation means everything to the staff at New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) in Wilmington, N.C. “We’ve gone through enough hurricanes that we’ve made backups for the backups,” said Carolyn Fisher, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
On September 12, 2018, as Hurricane Florence approached coastal Wilmington, 1,800 hospital staff members secured their homes, gave their families a hug, and went to work. They prepared meals and set up air mattresses, ready to live at the facility for the days ahead.
They were prepared for Florence and made sure their patients were, too. Before the storm, eight NICU babies were transferred to WakeMed, UNC Children’s Hospital, and Levine Children’s Hospital. “Our facilities are capable of withstanding powerful hurricanes…but when you are dealing with such delicate babies, you want them to be in the ideal medical situation at all times,” said Brandy Garris, the NICU Nurse Manager.
During the storm, the “hurricane heroes” of NHRMC cared for 500 patients and delivered 42 babies all on generator power. They made paper airplanes with 4-year-old Jacob who was sheltered in the PICU with his mom. When Jasmine, whose mom is a medical tech at NHRMC and worked through Florence, turned 13, they organized a party for her birthday. They called the mother of a 4-month-old NICU infant to let her know they were giving her baby lots of love and sleepy moments in the rocking chair.
NHRMC’s Storm Team was there for it all — from caring for patients to repairing leaks in the ceiling to setting up medical shelters at nearby schools for those affected by the storm. During the week Florence devastated Wilmington, the hospital remained open 24/7 with its staff prepared to overcome and confront any challenges the storm threw their way.
Preparation can save lives and enable hospital staff to care for their entire community in a time of crisis. This is just one example of why our pledge to protect care is so important.
Learn more about the bravery of NHRMC staff during Hurricane Florence here.
Sources:
1: https://www.nhrmc.org/blog/2018/10/in-the-center-of-the-storm
2: https://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20180914/NEWS/180919912/hospitals-face-hurricane-florence-head-on
3: https://www.nhrmc.org/blog/2018/12/texas-nicu-gift
4: https://www.nhrmc.org/blog/2018/10/nhrmc-staff-make-hospital-stay-during-florence-fun-for-4-year-old
5: https://www.nhrmc.org/blog/2018/10/staff-makes-sure-teens-birthday-not-forgotten
6: https://www.nhrmc.org/blog/2018/10/nicu-nurse-comes-full-circle