Brandon Hospital emergency teams respond after Hurricane Milton and Helene

The HCA Florida Brandon Hospital emergency response team helped the Tampa Bay community by transporting patients in the dark of night after Hurricane Milton, as well as responded to the great need for support in Georgia and North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

When the HCA Florida Largo Hospital’s basement began to flood, time was of the essence to start transporting patients to HCA Florida Healthcare and other hospitals across Tampa Bay. The only problem, the winds were still gusting at full force due to Hurricane Milton.

Justin Andrews, Medical Transport Manager for HCA Healthcare’s West Florida Division, received the call and he was made aware of the circumstances facing these patients. The emergency response team at Brandon Hospital prepared to leave at 2:00am when the winds had slowed.

They drove in the dark, with visibility limited to the length of their headlights. They encountered down power lines and trees, closed bridges and needed a police escort through some areas to reach HCA Florida Largo Hospital. They entered an emergency room lit only by cell phone lights, flash lights and heart monitors. Patients were waiting in the dark. They started quickly transporting patients to other area hospitals.

This team of paramedics and emergency medical technicians (EMT) transported 236 patients with a range of care needs from critical care to a heart transplant patient to a patient who had a hip replacement and was healing. They drove for 24 hours through storm-impacted areas until all the patients were safely moved. To provide a comparison, on average, 12 to 20 patients are transported via ambulance in a 24-hour period.

“It’s what you train for. You build your team and you pray that they are going to be able to do what they need to in the moment,” said Andrews. “I couldn’t think of a better team to go over there and do what they did. I’m so proud to say they’re my team.”

Andrews shared how this same team had provided post hurricane emergency support a week prior, “Within 24 hours of Hurricane Helene, two teams of our paramedics left for Georgia without a hesitation. I made three phone calls and I had a full team.”

They arrived to assist with patient transport in Augusta and Satilla, Georgia areas hit very hard and were joined by three ambulances and their teams from the HCA Healthcare North Florida Division. Due to the widespread road closures, debris and fallen power lines, patients were transported to hospitals that were open and not devastated by the hurricane, sometimes four to five hours away.

In addition, Debbie Gleydura, Director of Emergency Services for Brandon Hospital traveled to Asheville, North Carolina after Hurricane Helene to provide support at Mission Hospital, where she had worked previously for 23 years.

She arrived and was able to provide immediate relief to exhausted leadership and facilitate emergency operations, due to her prior experience at the facility.

Most importantly, Gleydura shared, “I was able to give the love and support my colleagues needed at Mission Hospital.”

“Patients shared hard and sad stories to hear after the devastation of the storm with colleagues. Families had lost everything and were searching for missing loved ones lost in the flash flooding. People felt overwhelmed. It was difficult for the hospital to care for patients and the community with no power and water. I was there to support them, that felt good,” said Gleydura.