While hospitals and health care organizations in the Southeast largely stayed open and functioning during Hurricane Helene to provide essential care for their communities, they were not unscathed. The massive system battered the region's health centers, causing blackouts, wind damage, supply issues and flooding—leading to a dramatic rescue of patients and workers at the Unicoi County Hospital in eastern Tennessee. Most hospitals used generators or backup systems to power their facilities through the hurricane.
Many places halted elective procedures. Few closed completely. Providers, like their communities, are now in the recovery phase.
Health care workers are still unaccounted for in western North Carolina, where at least 57 people died in and around Asheville. Officials also say mental health care facilities were destroyed in that area. Health care executives across the Southeast all say it'll be a long road back to normal.
"I feel really positive about our health care system's response," said Rob Hudspeth, senior vice president at UNC Health Appalachian. "But this is not going to be a one or two-week set of circumstances." Trying to call staff in North Carolina All three of UNC Health Appalachian's facilities were on backup power supplies at one point and they were fully stocked with supplies, including oxygen, Hudspeth said.
But some things are harder to predict, like the collapse of cellphone networks and roads. Until Monday, the system had no way to communicate with s.
