Drew Dixon
Health care workers who have been adversely affected by Hurricane Helene are getting some much-needed assistance from the Florida Health Care Association (FHCA).
The FHCA announced it is establishing a Hurricane Helene Relief Fund for its professionals who are members of the organization and work at nursing centers and assisted living facilities. Many of those workers could not leave those facilities as the mammoth tropical system careened into Florida Thursday.
In fact, the FHCA itself helped to prepare many long-term and nursing centers last week before the storm hit Florida.
The FHCA formally activated its emergency response activities on Sept. 23 and engaged those long-term facilities to offer support for the medical professionals as the storm moved closer to Florida.
“Living in Florida means living with the reality of hurricanes. For the long-term care community, preparedness isn’t an option, it’s a duty we have to the residents who call our centers home,” said FHCA CEO Emmett Reed at the time.
Now, after the storm, the FHCA is doing what it can to help all those members who had to work through the storm or were caught in the path of the hurricane in Florida. The relief fund will support those health care workers.
“In the midst of one of the largest hurricanes to hit our state, our caregivers braved the storm to serve our residents and ensure their safety and the highest quality of care,” Reed said Tuesday. “These heroes put the needs of others before themselves to safeguard the well-being of Florida’s most vulnerable residents. We honor them by supporting their recovery through this relief fund set up to ensure they can rebuild.”
Anyone wishing to donate can go to a specific website established by the FHCA. All donations go directly to the health care workers and their families who are still recovering from the storm. The Hurricane Relief Fund was established through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, FHCA’s tax-exempt organization.
