Reflecting on the year since Hurricane Helene impacted western North Carolina, AdventHealth teams recalled a period defined by adversity and teamwork. They acknowledged that healing is still underway, coming together on the anniversary with a scheduled time of prayer across its campuses. The journey toward recovery first began with the rapid mobilization of AdventHealth members nationwide to assist local colleagues and communities. Within the first 48 hours after the hurricane, response teams delivered 18,000 gallons of water, 145 oxygen cylinders and 4,000 gallons of fuel, while successfully locating 18 missing staff members.The support extended to financial and personal contributions for the Hendersonville and Polk teams, including over $500,000 in donations for those who lost homes or vehicles, and 32,000 donated PTO hours for staff unable to work. Throughout the crisis, these efforts ensured the community had access to continuous healthcare services, ranging from emergency and ICU care to labor and delivery, behavioral health, and diagnostic imaging. While the rebuilding process continues, the quick response has strengthened AdventHealth Western North Carolina as the community heals together.
Why We Did It
On the evening of September 26th, 2024, Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, creating devastation in the AdventHealth centers of Hendersonville and Polk. As a result of the natural disaster, homes and cars were lost, including those belonging to some AdventHealth team members. AdventHealth took action to aid the community in need, providing around-the-clock healthcare, participating in search parties and helping the counties get back on their feet. As a result, they were able to ensure a quick recovery of the hospitals, regaining power in less than two weeks and resuming non-emergency surgeries at their Western NC hospitals. This was due to the hard work of the AdventHealth Team Members who mobilized to provide additional care to the Western NC community, including nurses, medical technicians and an EMT Strike Squad (a mobile team ready to be deployed in case of disaster).
