Helene and hospitals: Relief efforts in North Carolina

Hospitals in western North Carolina have stayed open through trying circumstances in dealing with the damage from Hurricane Helene.

A week after Helene’s arrival, hospitals in the region continue to struggle, but they are getting much-needed help.

Federal emergency medical teams have set up tents outside of North Carolina hospitals and shelters.

HCA Healthcare, which operates seven hospitals in western North Carolina, sent clinicians to add staff at Mission Hospital in Asheville, the only trauma center in the region, and its other facilities.

As of Friday, 400 HCA nurses and more than 40 physicians have traveled to the region, the health system says. Clinicians have traveled from Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Virginia. Some traveled from as far as Texas, Kansas, Utah and California, the system said.

The U.S. Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has sent 300 medical, public health, and disaster response personnel to the region.

There are 22 acute care hospitals in the affected region, according to the North Carolina Healthcare Association. Many were operating on generators and without running water for days, although facilities are now connected to utility power, the association said.

The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation has activated a disaster relief fund to help hospital employees that have suffered property damage and other losses. The North Carolina Nurses Association and the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing have also activated a recovery fund to aid nurses in need.

The storm killed at least 220 people in six states, according to the Associated Press.