My Baptism by Fire (or should I say “Wind?”)

Everyone’s heard that old saying about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. Well, I lived it.

Wouldn’t you know…my first day on the job as director of marketing at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center was Wednesday, Sept. 1, and Hurricane Frances was making a beeline straight for South Florida. As an “outsider” of sorts, I was privileged to observe well-conceived emergency preparations efficiently unfold and work alongside great people who, over the course of several days, accomplished extraordinary things.

Having lived in South Florida my entire life, I’d made hurricane preparations before, but never for a hospital. No time for a learning curve. Thankfully, the hospital already had a plan in place for any type of disaster and my role was clearly outlined. I was able to jump right into work under the guidance of our Director of Human Services, Karen Smith, who was a true guiding light.

What I saw was the level of compassion and concern that hospital administrators had for the employees, patients and their families, and the teamwork, camaraderie and care everyone felt and exhibited. It was always clear that, although employees were needed to keep the hospital operating for the community good, family came first. It also struck me that many employees are as loyal to their PBGMC family as their biological ones!

Director of Human Services Karen Smith takes down license information from one of the Good Samaritan Medical Center nurses who accompanied patients evacuated from Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center’s sister hospital in downtown West Palm Beach.

As problems arose, they were quickly addressed. When public schools closed for two workdays, we weren’t sure employees with children would be able to make day care arrangements. So Karen helped set up our very own day care area and Betty Webb, Environmental Services executive assistant, and Kay Brown, Medical Staff Services director, shared responsibilities for running it.

Members of the hospital engineering staff, wet from venturing outside in the rain to rectify problems include (from left) Jim Earlman, Mike Murphy and Dino Gavazza, Director of Plant Operations.

As the storm approached, David Mowery, James Cawley and members of their Food and Nutrition staff worked around the clock preparing the kitchen to serve everyone hunkered down there. Dino Gavazza, Director of Plant Operations and his engineering team tirelessly labored to ensure the building was ready. Everyone in housekeeping took extra care readying the hospital for the increased number of people that would be staying, including making sure bedding and linens were available.

I witnessed scores of RNs, including Jackie Lockamon, Katie Boggs, Shirley Bonvento, Darlene Stack and Jessica Goforth, all PBGMC charge nurses, as well as nurses from our sister hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center in West Palm Beach, volunteer to work beyond their regular shifts, knowing full well they might have to remain once conditions deteriorated and replacements were out of the question. Still, they stayed to ensure quality care was provided to patients until relief could come.

Nursing supervisors Bert Ortiz, Jim Hill, and Lauren Press, and Telemetry Director Kim Ortiz, also an RN, often went without sleep to keep our hospital running and our patients, visitors and nurses comfortable and safe. Janet Tursi, Director of Women’s Services, managed care for an additional 18 pregnant women who were brought in from area shelters, calming and comforting them throughout the storm.

Chef James Cawley poses in the kitchen with Kelly Smith (left) and Jen Lawson, two of the volunteers who helped feed staff and family staying at the hospital during Hurricane Frances.

Because space and bedding were limited, department heads and administrators slept in their offices. Nurses on 12-hour shifts slept where they could, taking turns while the other shift worked. Karen Smith not only coordinated day care logistics, she tirelessly worked to ensure everyone had sleeping accommodations. If patient rooms needed to be sterilized, administrators and employees pitched in to clean the rooms. Right there among the volunteers were hospital CEO Mary Jo Gregory, Chief Nursing Officer Beverly Thomas – even children of employees. I don’t remember hearing complaints. Rather, staff asked what more could be done.

During final preparations, just before Frances hit, the electricity went out. I was further impressed when I saw this did not daunt staffers from performing their duties. Through the night, I witnessed many brave acts by our engineering team, including Dino Gavazza and Mike Murphy, who, at the height of the storm, unclogged a parking lot drain to prevent flooding and John Caldwell, who, in 100 mph winds, maneuvered a truck onto a detached piece of roof to make sure it did not fly into the hospital or surrounding cars and cause potentially fatal damage.

Following the storm, even in the heat, with no running water, morale remained high and, through sheer dedication and will-power, the hospital stayed up and running, thanks to many loyal employees too numerous to name.

I saw a lot of heroes at work. How many people can make that claim during their first few days on the job? To all of them, I extend my utmost gratitude and admiration.