During emergencies and major disasters, HCA Healthcare uses its scale and experience to ensure continuity of care so patients and communities can continue to count on us. Over the years, we’ve prepared for and responded to natural disasters, including hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes and tornadoes, as well as man-made crises, such as major vehicle accidents and mass shootings. Ahead of the 2024 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30, HCA Healthcare held its annual company-wide hurricane preparedness briefing to update and equip hospitals.
“Planning and preparation ensure HCA Healthcare is prepared to care for our colleagues and patients and respond to what is expected to be a more active 2024 hurricane season,” said Mike Wargo, vice president and head of enterprise emergency operations for HCA Healthcare. “It’s not a question of if a hurricane or tropical storm will make landfall near or impact one of our hospitals, but when. It’s our job to ensure we have the infrastructure and systems in place to ensure we deliver seamless, uncompromised patient care.”
Prepare for the storm
HCA Healthcare has dozens of hospitals in hurricane-prone regions, including Florida, Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina and Georgia, and we work diligently to stay on top of current and expected weather trends. Ahead of hurricane season, we are leveraging strategic partnerships with weather forecasting agencies to leverage real-time alert technology. During HCA Healthcare’s hurricane season preparedness briefing, StormGeo Weather shared factors that will impact the tropical Atlantic basin in 2024.
End of El Niño and return of La Niña Above-normal water temperatures across the tropical Atlantic Analog season showing areas at risk of above-normal temperatures across the Atlantic
So far, the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season has produced six named storms and the earliest Category 5 storm on record.
When HCA Healthcare’s Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) learns of a potential hurricane, we mobilize quickly to provide affected hospitals with everything they need to continue providing care. EEOC can redirect our organization’s supply chain to send medical supplies, equipment and medical teams to affected areas to provide assistance. EEOC pre-positions resources like temporary generators, flood mitigation assets and bulk water and fuel supplies, and maintains contracts with air and ground transport providers to ensure patients can be safely transported to areas outside the storm’s path.
Weathering the storm
During hurricanes and natural disasters, our EEOC remains in constant contact with hospital, department and company leaders to ensure our colleagues are prepared to safely serve patients and the community. Additionally, caregivers are on-hand at hospitals, sometimes with overnight bags, to help ease patients’ fears, keep them safe and ensure uninterrupted care.
Other tools include:
Flood prevention embankments
This year, HCA Healthcare deployed an incident support trailer loaded with 3,000 feet of flood prevention barrier and storm protection equipment. The bright orange flood prevention solution is made up of 50-foot sections that can be installed on a variety of surfaces and stacked to create any required height of flood protection. The pyramidal structures form a barrier to protect buildings such as hospitals and other care facilities.
Evacuation shelter
When a patient needs to be transported away from danger, we leverage evacuNATE, an algorithm developed by HCA Healthcare designed to help determine the need for de-risking or evacuation of a hospital or facility in real time. The platform maps out individual patient needs and any other necessary considerations, such as alternative treatment options, to help make informed decisions about transporting each individual patient.
Incident Support Team
To strengthen HCA Healthcare’s emergency response capabilities, the EEOC introduced Incident Support Teams (ISTs) in 2020. Currently, more than 125 IST members across HCA Healthcare are trained annually on how to effectively respond to events that impact patient care or the health of colleagues. All ISTs are part of the Corporate Emergency Operations Program and are comprised of corporate, divisional and hospital-based clinicians, leaders and executives from multiple states across the organization who are cross-trained as incident responders during events such as hurricanes. Specialized ISTs include neonatal intensive care transport teams, behavioral health response specialists and corporate downtime response specialists.
Consideration for colleagues
Once the storm’s threat level subsides, HCA Healthcare colleagues and volunteers will check in on the wellness of each colleague in the hurricane’s path. Additionally, our human resources and supply chain teams may set up on-site mini marts, gas stations, showers and laundry services to support our facilities, colleagues and nearby health systems.
Did you know? The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund has awarded 43 grants totaling more than $109,000 in 2023 to colleagues and their families affected by Hurricane Idalia.
HCA Healthcare Hope Fund
At HCA Healthcare, caring for our patients and caring for each other is our number one priority. The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund is a 501(c)3 public charity that provides emergency funding to colleagues when illness, injury, natural disasters or other difficult circumstances cause great hardship.
After hundreds of coworkers in Florida were hit by a devastating hurricane in 2004, HCA Healthcare colleagues donated money to victims across the country. What began as an informal way to help quickly evolved into the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, run by coworkers for coworkers. In 2005, with the Hope Fund’s efforts in full swing, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, and HCA Healthcare donated an additional $4 million to help coworkers in need in the aftermath of the storm.
To date, the Hope Fund has awarded more than $100 million in grants since its inception, and HCA Healthcare colleagues can visit the Hope Fund website to learn more and apply for assistance.
2024 Hurricane Heroes Story
Hurricane Beryl
On July 3, 2024, the EEOC was invoked against HCA Healthcare in response to potential threats to the company’s hospitals related to Hurricane Beryl, which is expected to impact the Gulf Coast of Texas.
On July 8, 2024, Beryl made landfall in Texas, knocking out power to more than 2.5 million homes. Widespread power outages lasted for days, and triple-digit heat indices in the storm’s aftermath created dangerous conditions for people without air conditioning.
“When disaster strikes, our communities count on us to be there,” said Tony Villarreal, vice president of HCA Healthcare’s Gulf Coast division. “The dedication shown by our colleagues before, during and after the storm allowed us to remain open when our community needed us most.”
As Hurricane Beryl initially headed toward Corpus Christi, Texas, HCA Healthcare’s collaborative network enabled Corpus Christi Medical Center to safely transport eight NICU babies and six high-risk obstetric patients to HCA Healthcare-affiliated Methodist Children’s Hospital in San Antonio. The transport of these patients was a remarkable feat of coordination and communication orchestrated by dozens of colleagues.
The morning of the storm, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) team members at Texas Women’s Hospital in Houston served more than 420 patients and coworkers a free hot meal at “Breakfast with Beryl.” Generator power allowed HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake to continue operations, but elevators were temporarily out of service during lunch service. Coworkers worked together to carry nearly 150 meal trays up the stairs to patient rooms. Many nonclinical team members assisted the FNS team by retrieving patient trays and washing dishes.
Colleagues were also able to help team members apply for assistance from the Hope Fund after the storm, and to date, more than 880 colleagues and their families have received financial assistance totaling more than $645,000 following the impacts of Hurricane Beryl.
Hurricane Debbie
On August 6, 2024, Hurricane Debby made landfall in Big Bend, Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. The slow-moving tropical system brought heavy rains and strong winds as it passed through Florida and Georgia before making a second landfall along the South Carolina coast. HCA Healthcare’s EEOC lawsuit was invoked before the hurricane made landfall, allowing our team to prepare and continue caring for our patients.
At HCA Florida Brandon Hospital in Brandon, Florida, 11 pregnant women were in labor amid Hurricane Debbie’s strong winds. Throughout the night and throughout the day, their babies were safely welcomed into the world thanks to the help of HCA Healthcare colleagues.
In the hardest-hit Florida communities, on-site mini-marts were set up to support colleagues and their families, and at HCA Florida Lake City Hospital in North Florida, everything from food to school supplies was provided free of charge to colleagues caring for patients during and after the hurricane.
“I was in patient care for 8 of the 10 days before, during and after the storm. I wasn’t able to buy school supplies for my three kids because of the storm. Being able to take time off work to buy school supplies is great. It’s wonderful. I bought snacks, fresh fruit, bread and school supplies for my kids’ school. It’s been a really hard week and this has put a bit of lightness on my heart.”
Michelle Bradley, ICU Nurse, HCA Florida Lake City Hospital
The Hope Fund also assisted colleagues affected by Hurricane Debbie, providing more than $45,000 to colleagues affected by the storm.
