Granville Health System Deploys Emergency Response Team to Eastern NC
Granville Health System (GHS) announced that a seven-member GHS team of clinicians was recently deployed to Onslow Memorial Hospital in response to the emergent needs presented by Hurricane Florence. The team departed on September 18 and returned on September 23.
The North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) coordinated the needs of several hospitals in the eastern part of NC who were short-staffed due to mandatory evacuations caused by the hurricane. The NCHA paired the resources of Granville Health System with the needs of Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, NC.
“Our team was humbled by the Onslow staff’s level of commitment,” said Ann Marie Holtzman-Wheeler, GHS Interim Chief Nursing Officer. “Many of their employees were working hard to take care of the community, but their own homes were flooded. Some staff worked a long shift only to go home to work several more hours cleaning up mold and flood debris in their houses and neighborhoods.”
The North Carolina Highway Patrol met the Granville team en route to Jacksonville to provide an escort through the flooded roadways. The Emergency Response Team (ERT) from GHS served in Onslow Memorial Hospital’s inpatient medical services, the Emergency Department, and in the Labor and Delivery unit.
Members of the ERT include:
- Team Lead Ann Marie Holtzman-Wheeler, RN
- Candace Ryan-Supples, RN
- Freda Chandler, RN
- Ed Bartels, RN
- Tammy Gallagher, RN
- Joanne Snow, RN
- Ann Brother, LPN
Back home on the GHS campus, clinical staff collaborated and demonstrated great teamwork to cover shifts for their coworkers deployed on the Onslow mission. In addition to the ERT support, Brantwood Nursing and Rehab Center took in nine long-term care patients from Pender Memorial Hospital in Burgaw, NC. The patients were evacuated ahead of Hurricane Florence and were transported home on September 25.
“GHS was pleased to answer the call,” said John F. Snow, Chief Executive Officer of Granville Health System. “The dedication and compassion of our staff has long served our community and now they’re sharing their gifts with fellow hospitals in need. I am so proud of the thoughtful actions and teamwork demonstrated from all of our valued associates as they prepared for the potential weather influence from the storm here in Oxford, for working together in harmony to care for our community, and for the willingness to help Onslow when they most needed assistance.”
