HCA Florida Healthcare gifts $750k to hurricane recovery

Health system supports local partners, colleagues in recovery activities

In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, HCA Florida Healthcare has announced a contribution of $750,000 to community organizations dedicated to meeting the needs of those impacted throughout Florida.

This gift provides $250,000 to United Way of Florida, $250,000 to Volunteer Florida Disaster Fund, and a $250,000 special match for gifts made by HCA Healthcare colleagues to United Way of Florida, the American Red Cross and the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund—the company’s colleague-run, colleague-supported 501(c)3 charity benefiting its colleagues and their immediate families affected by financial hardship.

“The impact of these disasters has been overwhelming for our colleagues and communities in Florida. Yet, our teams have responded with incredible diligence, sacrifice and care to contribute to the health and safety of our communities. While we continue to provide care to the more than 8.6 million Floridians who trust us with their health, these gifts—and the deepened organizational collaboration they can spark—are another way we can contribute to helping our communities recover and rebuild,” said Joanne Pulles, vice president of community engagement at HCA Healthcare.

HCA Florida Healthcare, one of the state’s largest healthcare networks, employs more than 79,000 colleagues across the state. Many of these employees are among those directly impacted by the storms. More than 1,000 HCA Florida Healthcare colleagues have already received in excess of $834,000 in Hope Fund contributions for personal disaster relief.

After each storm, the system provided immediate support at its hospitals to assist colleagues in taking care of their needs so they could best take care of patients. More than 150 nurses from across HCA Healthcare traveled to Florida to take on shifts at impacted hospitals so local staff could tend to their homes and families. 

Additionally, HCA Florida Healthcare provided:

• more than 10,000 cases of food, 11,000 bags of ice and 3,320 cases of water;
• 10,500 cases of cleaning supplies;
• 63,000 gallons of fuel to more than 8,100 colleagues;
• nearly 200 hotel rooms for displaced employees; and
• on-site laundry and shower services to colleagues and their families.

These responses are a coordinated effort across HCA Healthcare as part of its Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) in Nashville, a multi-disciplinary incident response team of nearly 200 leaders. The EEOC was activated in advance of both hurricanes to help ensure hospitals could continue to operate and care for patients during and after the storm. Teams prepositioned resources (including staff, medications, generators, bulk water and fuel supply, and construction materials) to aid with recovery and remediation. Collaboration across the HCA Healthcare enterprise occurred around the clock to ensure the safety of colleagues and patients while the storms made landfall in Florida.

Response and rebuilding efforts continue in Florida and across the Southeast for those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. For more information about the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund or to donate, visit HCAHopeFund.com.