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.

Related News Articles

Headline
The AHA and the Hospital Capacity Management Consortium will host a webinar Sept. 4 on the use of predictive analytics within hospital capacity management,…
Headline
The AHA Quest for Quality Prize honors hospitals and health systems committed to leadership and innovation in improving quality and advancing health. Learn how…
Headline
A JAMA study published Aug. 20 found that nearly 63% of all U.S. drug production facilities from 2019 through 2024 were in counties where a weather disaster…
Headline
The AHA’s Society for Health Care Strategy & Market Development Aug. 21 announced Donna Teach, chief marketing and communications officer for Nationwide…
Headline
The FBI Aug. 20 released an advisory warning of malicious activity by Russian cyber actors targeting end-of-life devices running an unpatched vulnerability in…
Headline
The Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Aug. 21 announced the creation of a Healthcare Advisory…