By Erin Rooks, Regional Director
On Wed., July 27, storms rolled into eastern Kentucky, causing flood waters to rise to historic levels and obliterate everything in their wake. As I write this, 37 people have died with the death toll expected to rise. Fortunately, our eastern Kentucky treatment centers are accounted for and continuing treatment even though many have lost their homes. Relentless, the rain, heat and extreme humidity continue to threaten so many lives hanging in the balance. Amidst it all, our centers did not sustain flood damage nor lost power.
On Thurs., July 28, Program Director, Mike Williams communicated with me all day about the flooding in Hazard, including Perry, Knott, and Breathitt counties. At that time, three colleagues from the Hazard Treatment Center had lost their homes. Today, six team members and their families have lost their homes, and many more have sustained damage to their homes. These amazing people still showed up to care for our patients and kept working.
Loss. Pain. Shock.
On July 29, Crystal Isaac, Program Director for BHG Pikeville Treatment Center and her team gathered and delivered supplies to other eastern Kentucky treatment centers. I was thankful and amazed that they collected supplies for so many people in just a few hours. You are all wonderful.
Cristyn White, Director of Medical Services, and I went to Hazard on August 2 to deliver the first load of supplies. I could not believe the devastation I saw on the drive there and through the town. There were flat pieces of land where homes once stood and areas where water had toppled large trees that were wiped of any life. The rivers and streams were filled with treasures of peoples’ homes that will never be restored. We saw a school bus in the water that was dragged for miles from the area school.
Hope. Life. Resilience.
However, when we arrived at the Hazard treatment center, we saw a building full of people that were helping others. Many staff lost their homes and all their clothes and possessions and showed up to work on Monday to help others when they had nothing. One staff member borrowed flip-flops and scrubs to wear for the day because she had nothing left. She said she had people who needed her, and she had to help them. She refused to feel sorry for herself and said others have it so much worse. It was unbelievable to see so many dedicated staff who showed up even though they had nothing left of their own homes. I can’t stop thinking about how important the Hazard Treatment Center is to patients and staff and how they were there to support all people that came into treatment. There were others who talked about having just a few minutes to grab family before their home was taken by the water, and they still showed up for work on Monday to help patients.
On Mon., Aug. 1, Mike decided that they would feed as many people as they could and set up a grill in the parking lot and gave out food and water. He wanted to make sure people at least had some food before they went to help others clean up their homes and try to find ways to survive. All the staff got together to help feed as many people as they could.
When the clinic closes each day, Mike moves his work to the streets and drives around seeking out those needing help. That led him to a man who had nothing but his backpack, home destroyed, and he told Mike he didn’t know what he was going to do because his facility was now gone. Mike said “I know what you’re going to do. You’re going to come with me and we’re going to get you into treatment.” And so, the man did.
It is the true dedication of this team that makes me proud.
BHG Cares Disaster Response Plan launched
As I continued to keep our leadership team updated, I started hearing from other team members across the country, reaching out to support us. Krista Hales and her team from the CBH/BHG Nevada treatment centers ordered lunch to be delivered to our teams. And our CEO, Jay Higham, and other executives let us know they were here for us and had activated the BHG Cares Disaster Response Plan to support our team members who now found themselves with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
“This is potentially cold comfort for everyone affected, but I always think that character emerges during traumatic events. I hope BHG is demonstrating character in how we are responding, but what I do know beyond a doubt is that the team on the ground is definitely demonstrating character above and beyond what we could expect. Difficulty exposes who someone really is at their core. Your team in Kentucky is remarkable,” said Jay.
Now, our colleagues, patients and communities will work together to pick up the pieces and rebuild. I am beyond proud of my team. I am here for my team. I know we are all here for each other.
Many of you have asked how you can support our colleagues and community members who were affected by the floods. You may consider making a voluntary donation to government supported resources such as: