On July 4th, catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River flooded Carville, Texas, forcing local healthcare providers to respond quickly and effectively to ensure the safety of their clients and employees.
Tri County Home Health, a subsidiary of FrontPoint Health, has revitalized disaster planning and ensured staff safety and patient care amidst the chaos. All patients and staff are safe and operations resumed within days, but the lasting impact on the community and the emotional well-being of employees remains an ongoing concern.
CNN reports that the river reportedly climbed over 39 feet, surpassing the county's second-largest flood in 1987. Gov. Governor Greg Abbott (R-Texas) declared the area a disaster, and the Kerr County Sheriff's Office has confirmed at least 135 deaths. As of July 20th, three individuals remained missing from more than 160 people, according to National Public Radio.
Learning about flooding, Jenny Vanckhoven, nurse and director at Tri County Home Health, stimulated disaster plans to ensure carer safety and patient accountability.
“We were lucky with our staff. It wasn't fatal,” Vanckhoven told Home Health Care News. “Our main focus at that point was to ensure that everyone was safe and considered before the recovery process began.”
Tri County Home Health is a Medicare and Medicaid accreditation body that provides home health services to Texas Hill Country. The provider serves Atascosa, Bandera, Bexus, Blanco, Comer, Edwards, Julio, Gillespie, Kendall and Carr.
According to Vanckhoven, state regulations in Texas require disaster planning, and TRI County is required to carry out at least two practice drills each year. The clinical manager will contact the patient to determine safety and report the findings to Vanckhoven. Patients are categorized into three priority levels based on their health needs, with Level 1 being the most urgent.
Brent Korte, CEO of FrontPoint Health, told HHCN: “When you pretend to have a blackout, it's one thing. But when you face a real moment of confusion — when it's a natural event that personally affects your patients, you're not only an expert leading a community healthcare provider, but you're also someone who lives there and has long-standing relationships.
Vanckhoven said staff are experiencing emotional impacts as many people are directly affected by the event. Additionally, there is temporary transportation disruptions that have reduced the efficiency of patient care.
“More than anything, it's about making sure my staff are emotionally healthy. If they're feeling bad, they have a safe place to report that it will have a negative effect on them without fear,” she said.
She said the organization tackles disasters in weekly lawsuits, but found that reaching out to staff individually is the most beneficial. She said it would be helpful to have a one-on-one conversation to ask if something is needed emotionally.
“Yes, we are a company. Yes, we need to provide care to our patients, but we can't do that if we're not good,” she said. “Give them to try and meet (the staff) where they are and give them support when they need it even without the extra burden for them to come in and see me.”
The long-term impact on the community continues for years, Bankhon said. However, home health care operations remain unchanged, as they share the same goal of supporting patients and communities where necessary. Overall, agents have not been affected in the long term.
“The healthcare community is really good at meeting at times when it's really needed, and healthcare professionals jump in with incredible resilience to respond to individuals with calm and compassion at the most challenging moments,” Corte said.
