HCA Virginia colleagues support North Carolina sister facility after Hurricane Helene

HCA Virginia is proud to be part of HCA Healthcare Capital Division — where We Show Up™ for our patients, our colleagues and each other. So, when our colleagues at Mission Health, part of HCA Healthcare, and their patients and communities in Asheville, North Carolina, needed support in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, our colleagues rushed to assist them in their time of need. 

During this season of gratitude and giving, we are exceptionally grateful to our local heroes and proud to share some of their incredible stories from their time spent in Asheville.

Nyema Sayed, HCA Healthcare Capital Division

For Nyema Sayed, regional vice president of human resources at HCA Healthcare Capital Division, answering the call to visit Mission Hospital was personal.  

"I was Mission Hospital's human resources (HR) vice president, so I was familiar with the hospital and very connected to the community," Nyema said. "I went to school in Asheville. So, it was not a faceless community to me. And, of course, once you've been in a hospital, you can't take away that connection to it. So, those people become your people. My peer there, Jorie, had not been able to get in touch with her family or leave the hospital to check on them. So, my primary driver was to get down there to relieve her as soon as possible and support the teams." 

After arriving in Asheville and seeing the devastation in the community caused by Hurricane Helene, Nyema felt immense relief and joy seeing her former hospital colleagues at Mission. During her nine days in Asheville, she helped relieve her HR colleagues and locate and check on all of the health system's colleagues in the region. She also helped coordinate the setup of markets, fuel trucks, Hope Fund tables, water stations and additional colleague support resources. 

"It was Care Like Family a million percent,” Nyema said. “We had group leadership sleeping on cots. We offered tree removal services for colleagues. People were driving out and picking up colleagues, gas and food. And we heard the incredible stories of patients who wouldn't have received care and colleagues who would not have made it through that kind of disaster without that response."  

"I've worked for this organization for 11 years, and it was one of those moments when it just completely reaffirmed the power of our organization," Nyema continued. "People weren't talking about how much things cost. That wasn't even on the table. It was, ‘What do we do? What is the right thing to do? How do we show up, and how do we show up in a big way for our colleagues?’ It was incredibly humbling and inspiring to see the way that our organization and team showed up for our colleagues and patients. And the Mission team did an amazing job; it was a privilege to be just a set of helping hands there. It was inspiring, and I felt very grateful to be a part of it."

Chelsie Portlock, Portsmouth Regional Hospital

Chelsie Portlock, an operating room registered nurse first assistant (RNFA) at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire, was ready to help when she learned about the destruction Hurricane Helene wreaked on the community. Chelsie said, “I had no idea what to expect, but I showed up and asked, ‘What can I do to help?’”

“We met so many colleagues, patients and visitors that lost completely everything," she continued. "Some watched their loved ones and pets get swept away.” 

For Chelsie, being a part of disaster relief meant leaving her ego at the airport and staying open to any work. Chelsie explained, "All tasks were of equal importance. Our mission was to stabilize and support the community impacted by the disaster and do whatever it took.”

And she did. Chelsie helped deliver hot meals, visited patients and gave the core medical staff meal breaks. Chelsie even worked on the ambulance as a critical care nurse. She spent six days in Asheville, working 12-hour shifts each day.

“We also spent time visiting with patients who no longer had people to visit them. Spending time with these and other patients, listening to their stories and putting a smile on their faces — that was probably my favorite thing we did,” she said.

Jack Holmes, LewisGale Medical Center

As an Army veteran with 10 years of active-duty experience and extended time spent serving in various roles during disaster and humanitarian missions, Jack Holmes, nurse at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, was proud to be one of the first to fly out to support Mission Hospital and its community. 

When Jack traveled to Asheville, he witnessed a great degree of humanity and unity amidst the calamity. "There was a strong sense of community and solidarity," Jack said. "Everyone showed a spirit of serving and meeting any needs that arose.”

Jack served as part of Mission's nursing operations team for a week. Jack shared, "It was very humbling and inspiring to be there. I consider serving others my life's mission, and it was an honor to be able to join and serve with teams of amazing and committed people!”

Keith Morrison, Reston Hospital

As a member of the Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) incident response team, Keith Morrison, market director of preparedness and emergency operations at Reston Hospital, was already tracking and preparing to respond in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. However, no one anticipated the disastrous impact that the storm would have in Asheville.

Keith, a career firefighter with decades of experience, was initially deployed to the command center in HCA Healthcare’s corporate headquarters in Nashville. Soon after, he was sent to Asheville, where he served as the incident manager for Mission Hospital and the incident support team. 

When he arrived in Asheville, he described what he saw as “complete devastation.” Keith reflected, “I witnessed local folks working many days and hours to make sure we could get to where we needed to go to assist in the response. I saw water tankers supplying hospitals and medical facilities so we could stay open for the community. We were initially flushing toilets with five-gallon buckets.”

During his time in Asheville, he supported colleagues affected by the disaster, allowing them time off to tend to their families, access their damaged property and recover from their personal losses. He also ensured that team members could travel safely from one location to another, often with limited means of communication. 

Overall, Keith was inspired by what he witnessed. “It made me proud to be a part of HCA Healthcare. Their ability to come together during a disaster and support our patients and staff is the best I have experienced in my 40+ years in emergency response. I love being part of any response that occurs, no matter what assignment I get. To be able to help my peers in their time of need is very satisfying."

Jacob Clemons, Chippenham Hospital

Jacob Clemons, critical care unit registered nurse (RN) watched the destruction and havoc of Hurricane Helene unfold online and on the news. He knew Asheville was suffering in the aftermath of the hurricane.

Alongside two other nurses, Jacob flew from Chippenham Hospital in Richmond to Asheville. “By the time I arrived, the hospital had electricity and running water — although this was being brought in by tanker trucks, as Asheville's water system was destroyed,” Jacob recalled. 

Placed in an intensive care unit (ICU) as a float pool nurse, Jacob stepped in wherever staffing was low. He mostly split his time between the cardiovascular ICU and pediatric cardiac ICU.

Jacob cared for patients to give Mission Hospital nurses breaks to take care of themselves. “Many of the nurses I met were still sleeping, showering and doing their laundry at the hospital,” Jacob said. “All the nurses I met were very appreciative of the help that we provided.” 

“I am very thankful for the opportunity to assist after this disaster and meet so many good nurses from all across the country,” he said.