As states in Hurricane Helene’s path grapple with its devastating effects days after it made landfall in Florida Thursday evening, nursing home operators are dealing with significant repair and maintenance challenges that could last a while – particularly in states like North Carolina. Damage to transportation, power and utilities could make recovery in some states long and arduous.
In North Carolina, the storm produced an unprecedented wave of destruction across the western part of the state, the NC Health Care Facilities Association said in a statement.
“The road to recovery for all in western North Carolina will be long and difficult. We are working in close partnership with the State of North Carolina’s emergency management officials, the National Guard, and others to secure resources and support so we can continue caring for our residents,” said Robert Brown, communications representative for the association. “Everyone is working together to get the job done, and our staff members have shown amazing dedication during this difficult time.”
Many nursing homes in the state have been impacted by road closures and the loss of power, water and other services, he said. The association is evaluating next steps and a lot will depend on how quickly essential services are restored – preparations are being made in the event that residents will need to be temporarily relocated, Brown added.
In Florida, while some nursing homes remain without power, proactive evacuations and transfers – including those to neighboring Alabama – along with close communication in preparation for the storm have also been a key to re-entry efforts.
The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA), for one, was in constant communication from Sept. 23 and on, with providers and activated their emergency response team, while members worked on their plans in preparation of Helene, said Kristen Knapp, senior director of strategy and communications for FHCA.
For Florida, evacuations happened prior to Helene making landfall, and now the focus is on re-entry along with essential services.
“We had about 100 long-term care centers evacuated and the process for those evacuations went smoothly,” Knapp said. “Members worked their plans, many used social media and their digital channels to provide updates on their emergency plans, and the focus throughout remained on the health and wellbeing of residents and staff.”
Members were also supported by the Agency for Health Care Administration, Division of Emergency Management and utility partners, which were on daily afternoon calls the week of the storm. About 400 providers participated in the calls, getting updates from utility partners and regulatory agencies, she said.
“We still have some facilities without power, but they are on generators and monitoring their fuel and emergency supplies regularly,” Knapp said. “There are still some also evacuated, especially in some of the rural harder hit areas where there may be a more intensive repair of the power systems needed or while they are assessing damage before they begin their re-entry.”
In some cases, other facilities took in nursing home residents forced to evacuate ahead of the Helene. A facility in Mobile, Alabama coordinated with their sister facility in Carrabelle, Florida, bringing 56 residents to Mobile to wait out the storm – residents arrived safely after a 4-hour drive.
The Florida residents were provided hot meals and lodging after arriving at Arabella Health and Wellness of Mobile, according to WKRG.
Helene was the strongest hurricane to slam into Florida’s big bend region, tearing through multiple states and killing at least 95 people, according to a report from CNN.
The federal government added hard-hit North Carolina on Sunday to its list of states under a public health emergency, joining Florida and Georgia. The government deployed 200 people to assess nursing homes, hospitals and other facilities affected by Helene, also sending medical care task forces, reports said.
Knapp said the FHCA’s Helene web page is being populated with resources to help staff who were impacted by the storm, and they’re opening up a Hurricane Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to those who need recovery.
President Joe Biden approved federal disaster declarations in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
“We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as with our partners across the federal government, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
“Unfortunately hurricanes are something that we’re all too familiar with here in Florida, but we’re especially grateful for our partners and proud of the work that the thousands of healthcare heroes have and continue to do to keep their residents safe,” Knapp added.
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CNN, Florida Health Care Association, HHS, North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association, WKRG
