HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, has announced that it will contribute up to $1.5 million through community organizations and colleague matching to aid in Hurricane Ian relief efforts in Florida.
HCA Healthcare will contribute to the following organizations:
- $1 million to the Governor’s Florida Disaster Fund
- $250,000 to the American Red Cross
- Up to $250,000 in colleague matching gifts to the American Red Cross
On Wednesday, September 28, Hurricane Ian made landfall on the west coast of Florida as a powerful category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. The devastation left more than 2 million people without power and caused extensive damage to communities in its path. HCA Healthcare operates 49 hospital campuses and has approximately 77,000 colleagues in the state of Florida, many of whom were affected by the hurricane.
“I am incredibly proud of how our Florida colleagues have responded in the wake of Hurricane Ian,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “Their resilience and compassion, even when faced with devastation as great as this, is a testament to their unwavering commitment to the care and improvement of human life.”
HCA Healthcare and its colleagues have a demonstrated track record of supporting communities before, during and after disaster strikes. Leaders from HCA Healthcare and its Enterprise Emergency Operations Center (EEOC) diligently prepared ahead of the storm to help ensure hospitals had the resources, including medications, food, water and generator power, to continue caring for patients and colleagues. When the forecasted trajectory of Hurricane Ian changed, HCA Healthcare and the EEOC adjusted quickly to aid hospitals in its path.
“In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian and unfortunate disasters like it, we tend to see such extraordinary stories of people reaching out to make a difference in all of our local communities,” said Dr. Ravi Chari, president of HCA Healthcare West Florida Division. “And by being there for our HCA Florida Healthcare family, our caregivers know that we are taking care of them and their families so they are able to show up and provide outstanding care and emotional support to our patients.”
HCA Healthcare’s Human Resources and Supply Chain teams have set up on-site mini-marts, fuel stations, showers and laundry services in Florida to assist facilities, colleagues and nearby health systems in need. HCA Healthcare established the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund to support colleagues in disasters such as this. The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund is an employee-run, employee-supported 501(c)(3) charity that provides financial aid and resources to employees after an extended illness, injury, disaster or other special situations. Approximately $350,000 in HCA Healthcare Hope Fund grants have already been allocated to more than 400 HCA Healthcare colleagues affected by Hurricane Ian. In 2021, the HCA Healthcare Hope Fund provided $10.7 million in grants that helped more than 4,800 families.
Over the last six years, HCA Healthcare has provided more than $5 million in financial support to the Red Cross for disaster relief efforts, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017, hurricanes Florence and Michael in 2018, and the Texas winter storms and Kentucky tornadoes in 2021. Most recently, HCA Healthcare gave $100,000 to the Red Cross during historic flooding in Kentucky. For the last four years, HCA Healthcare has contributed a total of $1.75 million to the Red Cross’ Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) which helps the Red Cross respond immediately to disasters, helps families during the recovery process and prepares people for future emergencies.
