Physician Services Hurricane Response: Rising to the Challenge

When Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck, HCA Healthcare had a powerful opportunity to demonstrate our core values. In the face of these natural disasters, our team not only responded, but did so with remarkable resilience, a steadfast commitment to our patients, communities and colleagues, and a sense of pride in our collective strength.

In addition to the hands-on relief efforts coordinated regionally and at the enterprise level, HCA Healthcare has donated $1.75 million to various organizations supporting hurricane relief, including United Way of Asheville, United Way of Florida, the American Red Cross of North Carolina and several local organizations. This total also includes an additional enterprise contribution to the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, which provides financial assistance to colleagues and their families in affected areas.

Our hospital partners worked tirelessly to meet urgent medical needs, and the Practice Operations team was right there with them, reaching out to patients to provide continuity of care and to colleagues to ensure help reached those who needed it most.

Katie Price , a North Carolina Physician Recruiter, led efforts to provide food and supplies in her neighborhood, which was cut off when the nearby Swannanoa River flooded. She partnered with a local church to open a food pantry, organizing the distribution of water, food and personal essentials. Katie continues to make a difference by organizing weekly potlucks in her neighborhood and coordinating food delivery for homebound individuals, ensuring no one is left behind.

Before other emergency supply chains were established, North Carolina VP of Physician Recruitment Heather Roberts MS HRM, CPRP heard of a specific need and took matters into her own hands. She loaded her SUV with diapers and baby formula and drove from coastal South Carolina to Mission Hospital McDowell in Marion, North Carolina. Her much-needed supplies were shared with Blue Ridge Hospital in nearby Spruce Pine.

Leading up to the storm, Physician Services activated its Brentwood, Tennessee-based Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC), a cross-functional team of leaders representing operations, reporting, finance, marketing and communications, information technology, clinical informatics, supply chain and more. The EEOC partnered with division leadership to prepare teams before the storm and respond to their needs after. For example, in collaboration with Parallon and CSG Marketing, the EEOC set up a hotline for patients with upcoming appointments and then sent text messages to those patients, directing them to the hotline. National Group VP Deann Thelen traveled to Asheville to provide on-ground support for division leaders. Throughout both hurricanes, the EEOC also provided daily updates with information about impacted colleagues, power and water outages, practice closures and emergency contact numbers. This was critical information for leaders in the impacted region and those coordinating support from other areas.

In times of crisis, we show up for our patients, our communities and each other. This has never been more evident than during this time of tragedy. We weep with those who lost loved ones and property. However, we are proud of our role in helping those impacted by the hurricanes and are deeply grateful for the personal sacrifices and tireless efforts of our team members.

We are deeply grateful for the support we have received thus far. For those who wish to continue supporting the ongoing recovery efforts, we encourage contributions to the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund. In the wake of these devastating hurricanes, your support is crucial in helping our colleagues and communities rebuild and recover.