Emergency preparation
and response
Emergency preparedness
In times of crisis, HCA Healthcare’s ability to adapt and respond is a powerful example of the ways in which our scale and expansive network improve the care we are able to provide for patients and each other.
The Enterprise Emergency Operations Program is made up of corporate, division and hospital-based clinicians, leaders and executives from numerous states across our organization who are trained annually on how to effectively respond to events impacting patient care or colleague wellness. Hundreds of HCA Healthcare colleagues are prepared to deploy to facilities and divisions as part of Incident Response Teams in the face of disaster.
Summerville Medical Center nurses Paolo de Dios, Melissa Graham and LaNae Simmons on their way to assist and support caregivers at sister facility Memorial Health Meadows Hospital following Helene.
Our emergency operations teams at the Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) in Nashville, Tenn. monitor potential threats and prepare for a variety of scenarios, including severe weather events and operational disruptions. With collective knowledge of the entire HCA Healthcare enterprise and access to cutting-edge technology and resources, the EEOC’s emergency response begins long before a potential issue is detected.
Sammie Mosier, senior vice president and chief nurse executive (far left), speaks with TriStar Division nurses on Sept. 29 as they load up to travel to Mission Health and support care teams in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
Through the Business Continuity team, the EEOC uses the Critical Infrastructure Survey, which is completed annually by all hospitals throughout the organization, to assess hospital infrastructure and vulnerabilities, and develop plans to mitigate any challenges we may face. We also use this information on a regular basis to direct operational strategy and prioritize upgrades. Additionally, the emergency operations team developed and implemented an industry-leading, comprehensive hospital emergency management metrics program to establish a benchmark for readiness across all our hospitals, identify focus areas to close gaps in our readiness and to track our improvement over time.
Each year, potential disruptions due to severe weather events threaten the well-being of our patients, colleagues and communities in numerous facilities and divisions. Through continuous feedback and process improvements, the EEOC gets better at preparing and responding to these events each year.
Responding to Hurricanes Helene and Milton
On Sept. 23, 2024, the EEOC was activated for what would become Hurricane Helene and facilities in multiple divisions began preparing for impact. Three days later, Hurricane Helene made landfall, bringing heavy rains, strong winds, tornadoes and catastrophic flooding to parts of Florida, Georgia and North Carolina. HCA Healthcare colleagues, including nurses, physicians, behavioral health specialists, therapy dog teams, engineers, technologists, operations support and more, volunteered to travel into the hardest hit areas to provide support and relief in the days after the storm. Essentials such as gasoline, potable water and generators were sent not only to keep our hospitals running, but to support hotels that were providing temporary housing for displaced colleagues.
With many areas of North Carolina severely damaged and cut off from most communication, HCA Healthcare’s Human Resources Group (HRG) worked to account for and connect with more than 30,000 affected colleagues. Through HRG’s Colleague Outreach Task Force, a group of 300 HRG colleagues called and texted those affected providing them with information about the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, housing assistance and places to get critical resources such as food, water and fuel through HCA Healthcare’s mini marts.
Less than two weeks later, in tandem with ongoing recovery efforts, the EEOC began preparing for Hurricane Milton to impact the West Florida division, including areas recently damaged by Hurricane Helene.
Colleagues from across the enterprise stepped up to support each other during this time, using their skills and talents to help HCA Healthcare continued caring for patients in the most difficult times.
The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund assisted more than 3,500 colleagues with grants totaling over $3.3 million in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
More colleagues were impacted by these storms than any other in the history of the Hope Fund. Over 100 colleagues volunteered to provide administrative support to the Hope Fund in the weeks following the storms.
Dive deeper into stories from our response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the HCA Healthcare special publication.
45 facilities
across 5 divisions affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton
734 patients
transferred to ensure continued care
700+ colleagues
deployed to disaster areas
$1.5M
contributed by HCA Healthcare to community organizations to aid in hurricane relief
Partnering with others to support disaster response
HCA Healthcare is also a longstanding national partner of the American Red Cross, through its Annual Disaster Partner Giving Program (ADGP), which includes an annual contribution of $500,000, that helps the organization have the infrastructure, resources and technology in place to provide care and comfort to those in need. Over the last eight years, HCA Healthcare has provided nearly $8 million in financial support to the Red Cross for disaster relief efforts.
Before Hurricanes Helene and Milton made landfall, emergency operations teams across the enterprise were gathering to prepare their facilities and their people for what was to come.