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Lessons Learned Weathering the Storm

Outside the sign for the President and CEO of the hotline that staff can call into for a record-
Community Health of non-profit, federally quali- ed message on the latest updates regarding
South Florida Inc. (CHI) fied health center. The for- work and CHI facilities. All of CHI’s secu-
Marathon Health Center mer Army Colonel pushed to rity officers were able to continue to com-
is a mangled piece of open services just one day municate despite the hurricane because
metal. Its plastic contents after hurricane Andrew. Now they all had Nextel two-way radios. This
were taken somewhere 25 years later, Irma was might be another improvement for the
else by the fury of Irma’s pushing his patience. Power future. Finally, the organization will make
hurricane force winds. Yet outages and down trees pre- sure that everyone is up to speed on any
the structure of the health vented the main site, the technology or aps used to communicate
center is intact and inside Doris Ison Health Center, before disaster strikes.
new life is brewing, quite from opening until two days CHI used social media and TV and radio
literally. Firdes Ozdemir after Irma. The following stations to get messages out to its patients Dr. David Forest examines Firdes Ozdemir
is just weeks away from BY TIFFANI HELBERG day, three more health cen- about what facilities were open and at Community Health of South Florida’s
giving birth to her first ters reopened and the rest closed. Moving forward, it might consider Marathon Health Center.
child and she is being followed suit shortly after. using social media to create additional
examined by Dr. David Forest during her “CHI is the community’s resource and lines of communication with staff as well. their own homes. Sometimes showing a
first post-hurricane Irma visit. we understand that comes with great For CHI, aid came from a number of dif- little bit of compassion when tensions are
“It’s a really big comfort, a safety, it feels responsibility,” said Hartley. “I am proud ferent places. The leadership learned to high goes a long way among staff.
like a big comfort for a woman like me of our staff for their perseverance. This speak to everyone about its challenges – Community Health of South Florida Inc.
who is 9 months pregnant,” said Ozdemir. was a very challenging situation. But you never know where help can pop up. lived by the motto, “patient care comes
She is one of many patients relieved to together we used our own ingenuity and The non-profit knew it had staff who first.” But it also carefully considered what
see the Marathon Health Center back up passion for patient care to overcome some believed in its mission and people who its staff needed to be able to deliver that
and running. The nearby hospital had tremendous hurdles.” were dedicated to return to work. The quality care to others.
been down due to damage. CHI’s CHI’s leadership used every connection leadership worked hard to consider the For some staff, including Rick
Marathon Center became a ray of hope possible to try and get power restored to well-being of its employees throughout Henderson the site manager at Marathon
amid so much loss. its centers. The main site went days with- and after the storm. CHI followed the who lost everything, the act of returning to
“We had a patient who was so glad that out power and had to use a generator to county’s guidance and allowed employees work became a positive distraction from
our pharmacy had reopened after Irma,” run the site. In addition, the organization to go home, board up their houses and the devastation.
said Flor Sanguily, Logistics Manager. “At has a 24-hour inpatient crisis stabilization care for their families 2 days prior to the “I like being here,” he said. “Especially
the commercial pharmacy, his medicine unit. This prompts the need for Florida hurricane. After the storm, it provided free with my work and helping the others that
was more than $400. But with our phar- Power and Light to add CHI to its hospital lunch and breakfast for employees and have survived here. It gives me a good feel-
macy, he was able to get it for $75. We listing to aid with priority power restora- even opened an emergency daycare for ing of purpose and well-being for helping
worked very hard to re-open all of our tion. employees with children who had no everyone.”
sites quickly because we know our Each day, post Irma, the executive staff place to put their kids. Miami Dade Public
patients desperately needed access to our met to discuss challenges and find solu- Schools were still closed but they had to Tiffani Helberg is Vice President for
pharmacies and services.” tions. The meetings had also taken place return to work. Employees were also pro- Communications and Development,
It was an intensive effort by all staff to prior to the storm to ensure everyone was vided with information about resources Community Health of South Florida Inc. For
restore the health centers to services and aware of the (COOP) Continuity of such as FEMA and other aid organizations more information, visit www.chisouthfl.org.
be able to come back to work themselves. Operations Emergency Preparedness to help them restore their own lives and
For nearly 10 staff members living in the Manual. Overall the organization was pre-
Keys the challenge was even greater. They pared and did well rebounding afterward.
had lost everything, their homes, their Communications had its high points as
belongings…everything. well as its low points. A high point was
“It’s difficult. Trying to reestablish your that its call center switched over to a facil-
living quarters which have been underwa- ity in Rhode Island so that patients were
ter, roofs removed and all your personal still able to call in and get some answers.
belongings destroyed,” said Rick Hende - Another win was the daily updates to staff
rson, R.N., Marathon Health Center site sent via email and through supervisors.
manager. This was especially helpful before and
It was stories like these that made after the storm. But during the storm, cell
restoring services at all of CHI’s 11 health phone coverage, texting and internet
centers and 35 school-based centers a access was spotty and non-existent for
labor of love, wrought with urgency and some. The satellite phones issued to lead-
intensity. CHI has been the safety net for ership were also spotty and some of the
the community for more than 45 years. aps installed for communications prior to
For more than 30 of those years, Brodes H. the storm had a learning curve for some of
Hartley Jr. has been at the helm as the staff. In the future, CHI will invest in a

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