Hurricane Frances came roaring into South Florida with copious rainfall and ferocious winds, but her astonishing power and endurance were no match for that of the dedicated and brave people who work in the region’s hospitals. Interviews with staff members at a number of South Florida health care facilities reveal a common thread of heroism and teamwork that enabled the health care professionals, administrators, support staff and volunteers to rise above the crisis and prevail, continuing to care for patients and for each other despite the daunting obstacles presented by Frances.

The aftermath of Frances at Columbia Hospital

Columbia Hospital in West Palm Beach remained open and functional throughout the storm, although the staff and physicians worked under conditions that challenged their problem-solving skills and tested their personal resources. Spokesperson Jean Wicken recalls, “The storm lasted longer than expected and there was a lot of uncertainty. The phones were down temporarily and the power failed, and although the generators kicked in, there was minimal air conditioning and it was hot and humid. But the staff was incredible! Many of the key staff, along with the physicians, brought their families and remained here throughout the storm and worked around the clock. The resilience and commitment of the staff was amazing to see.”

Wicken, Columbia’s Marketing Manager, says that the hospital prepared as much as possible, reviewing the disaster plans and holding drills in the days preceding the arrival of Frances. “We had adequate preparation time and that gave us the chance to set things up to support the staff and patients. Everyone brought in sleeping bags and air mattresses and we converted our gym into a shelter for the families of the staff. We provided child care and even pet care.” In addition to handling media calls, Wicken, along with the Human Resource director and Controller, took on the care of some of the 13 dogs and 6 cats that came to Columbia with their owners to wait out the storm. “We converted the Human Resources department into a kennel. We had 2 rooms of dogs and 1 room of cats – all in cages, of course. We fed them and walked them in the halls and on the grounds, and comforted them, too.”

Valerie Jackson, Columbia CEO, says “It was amazing to witness the incredible teamwork of the employees and medical staff who literally made the hospital their home for 4 or 5 days, working endless hours. Despite the limited air conditioning, few working elevators and reduced phone service, every crucial department such as the OR, the ER and dialysis units were operational. I am extraordinarily proud of our employees and members of the medical staff who pulled together under such stressful circumstances and provided excellent care through the entire disaster.”

South of West Palm Beach, in Boca Raton, there is a sense of pride in a job well done as the employees of Boca Raton Community Hospital look back on their experiences with Hurricane Frances. The 394-bed hospital was at full census when Frances arrived, and thanks to the willingness of the staff to do whatever necessary to conduct business as usual, patient care services continued in a nearly seamless fashion.

Hospital spokesperson D.B. Wienke reported no structural damage to the hospital and no loss of power, although there was a great deal of debris on the grounds. “We were fortunate in that we had electricity and were able to work closely with the police and the paramedics,” she says. “As a precaution, we closed our top two floors and we set up our meeting facilities as a hospitality center for the staff and their immediate families.”

The Emergency Department at Boca Raton Community Hospital has been designated as a “Best Practices” facility by the Agency for Health Care Administration, and the ED staff proved themselves worthy of that label as they confronted the storm and its complications. According to Wienke, “There were 37 nurses and 8 doctors who stayed in the Emergency Department from Friday morning to late Monday. They took shifts and slept in the offices. This was especially difficult because it was a large storm that lasted longer than anyone expected.”

The ED set up a “MASH”-like unit to care for people who sustained relatively minor injuries during and after the storm. They also dispensed free ice to people whose homes had no power and who needed to have medications refrigerated.

“We are so proud of everyone who volunteered to be here,” Wienke says. “People were upbeat without knowing if their own homes had been ravaged by the storms. They showed up wanting to help and everyone managed to come to work the next day. We honored our hometown heroes with a public thank you in the local daily papers and had huge pizza party.”

At Pinecrest Rehabilitation Hospital in Delray Beach, the Disaster Plan was implemented with great effectiveness and the 90-bed facility approached the storm with confidence and calm competence. Anna Cohen, Marketing Manager, says that the staff and the facility were extremely well prepared.

“We had Before and After Teams to deal with the preparation and the aftermath. We had good staffing because of the willingness of the staff to work around the clock. We had designated sleeping areas for them and for members of their immediate families,” she says. “But as prepared as the staff was, it was still very impressive to see their response. I think these people are local heroes. They went above and beyond, doing extraordinary things. The entire Pinecrest team is to be applauded for rising to the occasion and providing quality care under very stressful and uncertain circumstances.”

Pinecrest is planning to publish a special issue of their newsletter, spotlighting the many stories of heroism, resourcefulness and sacrifice that took place during the storm.

One of the hardest hit hospitals was Martin Memorial Medical Center, in Stuart, where Hurricane Frances literally blew the roof off the North Tower. The 7-story, 236-bed hospital had to cope with water pouring in through the exposed elevator shafts and was forced to temporarily reduce their bed capacity to just 50. Despite this trauma, the staff at MMMC dealt with things resourcefully, even forming human chains in the stairwells to pass supplies to the upper levels in the absence of the elevators. Melinda Glasco, hospital spokesperson, raves about the camaraderie and generosity of the employees.

Martin Memorial associates help clean up in front of the Cancer Center.

“There are amazing stories coming out about the teamwork and cooperation. Hurricane Frances actually brought us closer with a real sense of family. We all made new friends and learned that you can count on others when you need to. We saw people ‘out of context’ such as when the administrators were in their jeans and T-shirts, drilling alongside the facility staff. We saw everyone pitching in. I think we all have a greater appreciation of each other and of what a great workplace Martin Memorial Health System is,” Glasco says.

Hurricane Command Center staff at Boca Raton Community Hospital during the lockdown from Hurricane Frances.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent a mobile Disaster Medical Assistance Team from New Mexico to help out at Martin Memorial Hospital South. The crew of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and chaplain set up three tents and assisted the Emergency Department by caring for persons with storm-related injuries such as lacerations, while the more seriously ill and injured were seen inside. Martin Memorial Hospital South saw its Emergency Room utilization jump by more than 50% after the storm, so the assistance was needed and appreciated.

And in the midst of all the preparations, emergency plans, drills and long dark days and nights of this long, savage storm, there was one very bright spot for the staff at Martin Memorial – and that was the birth on Saturday, during the worst of the storm, of a baby girl whose mother was brought in by paramedics. Her parents had a name already chosen before her birth but, in consideration of the circumstances, changed their minds and named her – what else? – Frances.