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I’ve only been President of Bladen Healthcare for a short time, but I have learned that the Bladen Healthcare team is a family. And like a family, everyone pulls together in adversity.
That came in the form of Hurricane Matthew. Arguably one of the worst disasters anyone in our lifetime has encountered, our team and county first responders worked diligently to ensure that members of our community received appropriate medical attention and shelter. During the wrath of the storm, I witnessed many acts of dedication to the Bladen community.
Very quickly, it was evident that we needed to not only treat patients within the hospital but we were needed in the shelters as well. Members of our team coordinated with county officials and assembled a team that assisted members from the Health Department, EMS and other county entities in shelters by providing medical care for individuals in the shelters and by sharing requested supplies to meet the community’s needs.
I am extremely proud of the Bladen Healthcare team. Members of the staff selflessly provided the coverage needed to ensure that patient care was not compromised and that they were taking care of each other as well. Many employees had their own families and hurricane damage to worry about when they got home, but they were focused on caring for the Bladen community first. Team members stayed overnight and slept on cots to ensure that we would have the coverage needed to care for our patients. I am thankful that they did as many staffers could not get to work because of road closures and flooding. In addition, the emergency department and the medical surgical unit experienced record highs. We even delivered babies during the height of the hurricane. Not only did the team provide medical services, they provided meals for displaced community members, family members of our patients and the EMS providers on duty.
If I ever have to weather a crisis like this again, I would pray that the Bladen team were weathering it with me. I recognize the physical and emotional toll this disaster may have taken on our staff. However, they took it in stride and made it look easy. During this crisis, our team was the epitome of grace under fire.
In addition, I wholeheartedly believe that strong leaders equip others to lead and then allow them to do so. Each of the departments at Bladen County Hospital has strong leaders and this was demonstrated during Hurricane Matthew. Most of our leaders arrived for duty the morning of the hurricane and remained on the Bladen Hospital campus until we were assured that we would have appropriate staffing to care for our patients. Several stayed in excess of 96 hours.
Finally, I want to give a special thank you to Bradley Kinlaw, David Howard, Eddie Madden and Greg Martin and their respective teams. They were essential in leading the efforts to assist the community of Bladen during this crisis and in ensuring that the hospital staff had the information needed to assist those who required medical attention.
Thanks to all for a job well done!
Roxie Wells, M.D.
President of Bladen Healthcare
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