HCA in New Orleans -- an incredible success story

[techweenie]

Because of the multiple prior disaster warnings regarding NO levees, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) executives gathered last year to map out their response to a 'worst case scenario.'

They identified all the resources they'd need -- along with back-ups. Food, water, generators; fuel -- all were positioned in nearby safe locations.

When Katrina came, they mobilized their fleet of 20 privately-owned helicopters and set up their own air traffic control network using Ham radio operators and smoothly evacuated all the patients and staff from their hospitals. They even had the time to volunteer evacuation for a couple of other hospitals...

All this from a private company whose primary task is not evacuation logistics.

September 02, 2005 2:36:00 PM ET
HCA Completes Airlift Evacuation at Tulane University Hospital and Clinic; Assists Nearby Hospitals

Privately-contracted helicopters move patients and staff at hospitals crippled by Hurricane Katrina

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- HCA HCA Twenty helicopters hired by Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) have completed the evacuation of patients and staff from Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, which began four days ago following Hurricane Katrina. The evacuation included close to 200 patients and over 1,200 employees and staff. HCA leadership, coordinating with Gov. Blanco's office, has offered the 20 helicopters at its expense to assist with the evacuation of nearby Charity Hospital's two facilities, as well as University Medical Center, which are not affiliated with HCA. As many as 50 Charity Hospital patients, some severely ill and on ventilators, have already been evacuated by HCA.

The evacuation process has consisted of a constant airlift using privately-contracted Blackhawk helicopters, Medi-vacs, passenger helicopters, and, with cooperation from government authorities, Chinook military aircraft. With each arrival, the helicopters dropped 750 pounds of food, water and medical supplies, filling the choppers with people for their return runs to the New Orleans airport, where buses wait ready to transport healthy individuals to shelter locations in Lafayette. Now the buses are taking people to HCA's Lakeview Hospital in Covington. Some patients have been transferred to hospitals in the area, and, in an effort to alleviate the local burden, others were transported to HCA facilities in Texas and Florida.

HCA has dozens of staff on the ground in New Orleans coordinating evacuation and relief efforts. Many have been in place since Katrina hit. Others, flown in on private aircraft from other HCA hospital locations, have arrived to support nursing and supply efforts in the area. Another 170 nurses are on stand-by through "All About Staffing", HCA's internally-run temporary nurse staffing organization. As the Tulane operation begins to wind down, the 20 helicopters the company had hired to assist in evacuating patients and staff are being maintained at HCA's expense to assist with the evacuations from Charity's two hospitals. Blackhawk helicopters will be used by HCA to provide food, water, and medical supplies for Charity Hospital's patients and staff. Some 150 employees from Chalmette were taken to an HCA-managed makeshift shelter in Lafayette.

"This situation demands we all do everything we can to help one another. We have use of these services, so it only makes sense that we keep these helicopters under contract in the air and provide help to other hospitals as best we can," said Jack O. Bovender, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HCA.


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More here: http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB112606415695633724-INjfINnlaN4nZusa36GcayGm4,00.html
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Damn, that's impressive.

[Rodeo]

Bravo!

[techweenie]

Impressive as hell. I hope they get all the publicity and accolades they deserve. I'm sure they violated FAA and lots of other rules, but sometimes those rules need to be broken.

[fintstone]

Too bad the city and state did not plan and/or follow the plan they had as well.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by fintstone
Too bad the city and state did not plan and/or follow the plan they had as well.

I think HCA had a better plan.

Although, in the final analysis I think the city will be found to have done exactly what was in their plan.

But I cannot see how the state held up its end. There's no visibility for what they did to help. And there's a long history of robbing needed levee repair/improvement money for other pet projects. Lot's of 'splainin to do. I hope the investigation is done fairly.

What if we could grab the CEO of HCA and put him in charge of DHS?

[fintstone]

I cannot imagine he would accept the cut in pay.

[techweenie]

...nor, i suppose, the abuse of public scrutiny...

:-/

[id10t]

Gee, reminds me of the not for profit HCA I worked for many years ago.. . before they went for profit... before they were bought by columbia... before they became corporate greedhounds...

[JeremyD]

The article doesn't mention the fact that New Orleans officials twice commandeer their helicopters in the middle of them evacuating their staff and patients. - my Mom works up the food chain for HCA