Press release from Mission Health:
The city of Asheville and the surrounding areas continue to work through infrastructure challenges caused by Hurricane Helene. HCA Healthcare’s Mission Health hospitals have remained open and caring for patients since the storm thanks to the tremendous efforts of our colleagues and physicians.
- HCA Healthcare colleagues, including approximately 400 nurses from Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Kansas, Utah and California, arrived to provide support and relief for our Mission Hospital caregivers
- More than 40 physicians from HCA Healthcare hospitals have been dispatched from other regions to support the community
- We have cared for more than 1,800 patients and delivered more than 50 babies since the start of the storm.
- We have the staff and resources to treat all patients, including trauma patients, that come to our hospital via ambulance or through our emergency room
- Visit Missionhealth.org/Helene for information on services, regional hospitals, clinics and more
- We are providing daily necessities to Mission Hospital including:
- Water trucks that supply more than 200,000 gallons of water per day
- Hundreds of thousands of bottles of water
- Tens of thousands of gallons of fuel
- Satellite data networks
- Mobile units including kitchens, bathrooms and handwashing stations
- We set up Mini Marts inside our hospitals to provide our colleagues with free groceries including food, water and toiletries. We have also set up laundry, sleep and shower facilities.
- So far more than 550 HCA Healthcare colleagues have received nearly $600,000 in emergency financial assistance from the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, an employee-run, employee-supported 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial aid and resources to employees after an extended illness, injury, or disaster
- We are contributing $1 million toward disaster relief efforts, including $250,000 to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, $250,000 to the American Red Cross of North Carolina and an additional $500,000 to other community partners that provide direct support for hurricane related issues
This is a difficult time and we are doing all we can to bring help and relief to those in need. Given the ongoing water issues in the city of Asheville, it is important to preserve as much potable water as possible for general hospital use. We are exploring alternative ways, including the drilling of additional wells, to provide water to cool our HVAC units so we can continue to maintain proper temperatures in our hospital. We are hopeful that the Asheville community’s infrastructure will be restored soon, but we have contingency plans in place and will continue to evaluate how best to take care of our patients and our colleagues.
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