LEXINGTON, Ky. — Baptist Health and its employees are rounding up medical and household supplies to assist healthcare providers and families in Letcher and Clay counties – two areas battered by torrential rainfall and massive flooding that swept away homes, businesses, and resulted in a tragic loss of lives.
Baptist Health, Kentucky’s largest healthcare system, has three hospitals that serve the eastern Kentucky communities affected by the flooding – Baptist Health Corbin, Baptist Health Lexington and Baptist Health Richmond. In addition to assisting fellow employees affected by the flooding, the Baptist Health system and its staff are providing support to residents in Whitesburg and Fleming-Neon in Letcher County and Manchester in Clay County.
Baptist Health is also partnering with established organizations, such as Louisville-based SOS (formerly known as Supplies Over Seas International), to deliver assistance where it is most needed.
SOS is an internationally recognized global health organization based in Louisville that is bringing its expertise in disaster relief to eastern Kentucky. “SOS is known for its responsible and equitable aid model that is needs-based and prepared and packaged to enable rapid deployment on the ground. Restoring community clinics is a vital step in disaster relief which is where we are focusing our attention,” said CEO Denise Sears. In addition to deploying supplies from the SOS inventory, SOS is sourcing needed supplies from other partners and is helping coordinate distribution to ensure all regions receive the level of help needed.
Already, SOS and the Baptist Health system have donated exam tables and stretchers, IV fluids, dressings, tubing, and other basic clinic supplies sent to Clay and Letcher counties.
Baptist Health encouraged Gould’s Discount Medical to donate 30 oxygen concentrators and Medline Industries to assist SOS with supplies via their corporate social responsibility programs.
Employees, and hospitals pitch in
Baptist Health employees at each hospital are rounding up much-needed baby food, baby formula, paper products, personal hygiene products, bottled water, and non-perishable food.
The Baptist Health Hardin Wellness On Wheels (WOW) mobile health unit was loaded with donated boxes of gloves, wipes, gauze and other clinical supplies to be delivered to eastern Kentucky and set up at a middle school in Fleming-Neon as a temporary clinic. Baptist Health Corbin is organizing staffing to provide care. The WOW van was deployed to Dawson Springs, Kentucky last December when a tornado destroyed the system’s clinic.
In addition, the Baptist Health Foundation Emergency Assistance Fund has been expanded to assist not only staff members affected by the flood but also the communities in need.
Donations to the Baptist Health Foundation may be made at this link: www.SupportBaptistHealth.org/emergencyassistance. The Foundation’s Emergency Assistance Fund will support those affected with current, as well as long-term needs.
The public is encouraged to donate to the Foundation (link noted above), which will be assisting those most affected or to donate to organizations with a proven track record such as the state’s Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund.
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