Highlands-Cashiers Hospital describes emergency response, staffing programs and housing plans after Hurricane Helene

Tom Veil, a representative of Highlands-Cashiers Hospital (part of HCA Healthcare), told the Town of Highlands Board of Commissioners on Feb. 5 that the hospital sheltered staff, kept its emergency department open and relied on staged HCA resources after Hurricane Helene.

Veil said the hospital sheltered about 60 staff members during the storm and kept them onsite for roughly five days while the facility managed road closures and widespread damage. "Our mission at that point was to keep the patients inside of the hospital safe, to keep the emergency department open, and to make sure that all of our staff are safe," Veil said.

Why it matters: Veil framed the account as an example of local resilience and of how regional systems and corporate resources can affect rural hospitals during major weather events. Commissioners and staff pressed for follow-up on communications and redundancies after the storm.

Veil described key emergency-response supports HCA…