It was all hands on deck at Bay Pines Veterans Affairs hospital and clinics days before Hurricane Ian was predicted to hit the west coast of the Florida peninsula. Staff needed to move patients to other hospitals and get the grounds ready for the storm that was projected to be the region’s strongest on record.
For the layperson, evacuating an entire hospital sounds complicated and overwhelming. But according to AFGE Local 548, which represents employees at the Bay Pines Health Care System, it was part of their emergency plan that had been practiced, and staff knew what they were doing.
As a result, more than 200 veterans were transferred to sister hospitals in West Palm Beach, Tampa, Orlando, North Florida/South Georgia, and some community hospitals in just three days.
How are the patients going to be cared for in the new hospitals? Nursing staff transferred with them to provide continuous care! Other staff remained at the facility to ensure the grounds and surrounding buildings were ready for the storm.
Another group of staff, such as facility management, environmental management, police, safety, HTM, providers and director, remained at the hospital and at Lee County clinic to ride out the storm and assess the grounds after the storm passes.
Local 548 President Tatishka Thomas said the transfer process was all hands on deck and included standout performances from a wide variety of dedicated AFGE-represented VA employees such as:
“All patients are doing well. Evacuation is part of our emergency plan that’s practiced due to being on the water and knowing what our campus can withstand,” said the local president.
Hats off to AFGE members at Bay Pines for the amazing work and thank you for taking care of our veterans and their families in times of need!
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