by Merideth Holland, Vice President of Support Services, Southeast Health

It’s comforting to know that superheroes are not only found in movies or comic books. Our superheroes don’t wear capes or try to hide their true identities. But like our favorite fictional superheroes, they find people in need. They don’t do it for publicity or recognition. They just spring into action without hesitation. They don’t even consider what they do as super-heroic. They are first responders, emergency preparedness agencies, and the dedicated utility crews that responded to Hurricane Michael. They also work at our hospital, and on Tuesday, October 9, if they were not already here, they rushed to work to confront the trauma that a catastrophic hurricane can bring to a community and its residents.

PREPARING AT SOUTHEAST HEALTH

Southeast Health’s Administrative Team activated the hospital’s Incident Command Center at 8 a.m. Tuesday. It became the nerve center where administrators, nurses, physicians and many other professionals gathered to respond. And we were prepared to handle the situation, because the hospital regularly holds emergency exercises to make sure we are ready when disaster strikes. Employees activated their departmental response plans to ensure the care of our patients as Hurricane Michael quickly developed into the most powerful storm to hit the Gulf Coast. As the storm churned toward our community Tuesday, elective surgeries and outpatient tests were cancelled, and clinics were closed. Our facilities team worked to secure areas around the hospital and they ensured backup generators had fuel and were operational. The generators supplied power to the hospital Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning. Service teams within the hospital prepared their areas to meet the needs of patients and staff, including identifying sleeping accommodations for hundreds of staff members.

CODE 5000: AN EXTERNAL DISASTER

As the storm strengthened Tuesday night, and quickly developed into a Category 5 hurricane, the decision was made Wednesday morning to declare a Code 5000, which means an external disaster is imminent. Incident Command leadership was divided into two teams to ensure around-the-clock operations. Safety huddles were held every five hours to update directors on what was taking place inside and outside the organization. Internal communication was provided through a pager system and informational meetings.

HUNKERED DOWN

Essential nursing, clinical and support team members, who reported to work Tuesday night, slept at the hospital on Wednesday during the day, and returned to work that evening. These dedicated individuals remained on campus for 36 to 40 hours, not knowing if their homes were damaged in the storm or, in some cases, whether their families were safe. The day shift spent Wednesday night at the hospital to be ready to go Thursday morning. Thus, we had staff available on site to take care of patients and keep our team members off the roads. Physicians from all major specialties remained in the hospital, ensuring that care could be delivered for patients, including cardiac, obstetrical, trauma and other emergencies. And the Child Development Center team made sure everything was in place to take care of employees’ children.

READY FOR THE AFTERMATH

As Michael made its way out of the area early Thursday morning and first responders began to roll again, staff members braced for the influx of patients from our own communities, as well as those south and east of Dothan. And as the sun rose behind the clouds on Thursday, the Emergency Department experienced our busiest day ever. Despite the increased volume, our employees cared for everyone who came into the Emergency Department. By early Thursday evening, Incident Command was shut down and the hospital returned to normal operations.

STRENGTH AFTER THE STORM

Our team members are our superheroes and we’re proud of them. But, there are many other superheroes in our community. We appreciate the efforts of all first responders, utility workers, sanitation department workers, groups who provide meals and water, and many others. It is superheroes like these who will ensure communities from the Gulf Coast to southeast Alabama to southwest Georgia come back stronger than ever. We are proud to be counted among all of you as we work together to rebuild our communities – and our lives – together.