There to Care

Hurricane Irma, the second historic storm to threaten the U.S. in the past three weeks, is churning its way through the Caribbean toward Florida, where it is expected to make landfall this weekend. Puerto Rico already has weathered this powerful storm. Our hopes and prayers are with the people of Florida, Puerto Rico, and the southeast region as they endure this tremendous storm and begin to rebuild.

Irma and its predecessor Harvey are powerful reminders of why emergency preparedness is so important, and why hospitals constantly drill to be ready in the face of natural and man-made disasters. Our communities depend on us, and the hospitals and health systems in Irma’s path will respond to this crisis just as heroically as those in Texas and Louisiana, who are still dealing with the devastating flooding brought by Hurricane Harvey.

In times of crisis, the women and men of America’s hospitals are at their best. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen hospital employees working around the clock, evacuating at-risk patients, and providing care to the neediest even as their own homes were being destroyed. That’s what it means to care.