While hospitals in the Southeast largely stayed open during Hurricane Helene, 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 are now in the recovery phase. Healthcare workers are still unaccounted for in western North Carolina, where at least 57 people died in and around Asheville. Officials also say mental healthcare facilities were destroyed in that area.
With just five weeks remaining until the election of the 47th U.S. president, more than half of Americans say protecting Medicare and reducing healthcare costs are among the most important issues influencing their choices at the ballot box, a new survey finds. What's more, two-thirds of respondents think healthcare isn't receiving enough attention in the 2024 campaign. Analytics firm Gallup and West Health polled more than 3,600 U.S. adults 18 and older on healthcare issues. Roughly 1,300 people were surveyed after the Sept. 10 debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, but the polling methodology indicates little variation in respondents' attitudes before and after the debate.
More than 50 people have been rescued after being stranded on the roof of a Tennessee hospital Friday – some of them for hours – due to rising floodwaters from Hurricane Helene. The dozens of people trapped atop Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, were all taken to safety as of Friday evening. Ballad Health, which manages Unicoi, was notified the hospital needed to be evacuated at around 9:30 a.m. local time Friday, the healthcare organization said in a post on X. But because of flooding and high winds from the deadly storm, ambulances and helicopters could not reach the building safely.
TAMPA — The barrier stands between 5 and 10 feet high. It's sealed to the ground, secured with metal anchors and completely surrounds the grounds of Tampa General Hospital. The AquaFence, as it's known, looks similar to the barricades that stand at construction sites. It acts as a kind of force field, designed to protect the hospital — the region's only Level 1 trauma center — from storm surge and flooding. Personnel at Tampa General worked Tuesday and Wednesday to install the AquaFence along the hospital's perimeter as Hurricane Helene barreled toward Florida. It was one of many measures Tampa Bay area hospitals took to ensure they can keep treating patients amid impacts from the storm.
Pinellas County officials issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday for residents in evacuation Zone A who live in healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes and assisted living centers. Emergency management director Cathie Perkins said during a news conference on Tuesday that the order impacts two hospitals, 14 nursing homes and 10 assisted living facilities. "We are doing this because it does take them longer to evacuate and we want to make sure that we are protecting everybody," Perkins said. Pinellas County began evacuations for residents registered as having special needs at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"The sudden absence of ER level 4 and level 5 services means that people will die," said the CEO of nearby Codman Square Health Center, which is already seeing a surge in new patients.