In response to devastating storm damage across North Texas, Baylor Scott & White Health activated its Hospital Emergency Response Team (HERT) last week. The team of volunteers from Baylor Scott & White’s hospital emergency response teams included both clinical and non-clinical employees who spent time helping fellow colleagues impacted by the tornado.
For more than two hours, a seven-person team of volunteers worked tirelessly to clear debris and to free an employee’s vehicle that was trapped inside a damaged garage. Two days later, a second team of employee volunteers from both North and Central Texas joined the tornado relief effort.
Christine Frazier, a clinical informatics nurse on the medical staff at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Plano, was one of many North Texan’s who lost her home in the storm.
The emergency response team assisted Christine and her husband, recovering photographs, keepsakes and other essential items from the family’s home.
As you can see from the images in the video, the tornado traveled straight down a path through the Frazier’s neighborhood. Christine and her husband hid in a closet during the storm, which was the only thing left standing when it passed through.
“These volunteers didn’t have to be out there,” said Nick Sloan, Director of Emergency Management for Baylor Scott & White Health. “These employees were the first to write in when we put out a call for volunteers, and they were out there for hours doing what they could to help.”
Support from the Baylor Scott & White community continues to overflow towards families like the Fraziers who were impacted by the damaging storms.
“You know, you see it on the news, and you see these reports of families and what they’ve lost,” said Brian Lauer, Environmental Safety and Emergency Management manager, Baylor Scott & White Health. “It really doesn’t hit home until you see it firsthand. Houses demolished, family members going through the rubble trying to find personal items–just being able to help them is truly a humbling experience.”
“There’s no way to repay [them for] this,” said Jeffrey Frazier, Christine’s husband.
“I can’t put it into words,” Christine said. “Baylor is my home. Baylor is my family. My family has really stepped up when we really needed it. I can’t put into words how much that means to me.”
In addition to the efforts initiated by the HERT team, Baylor Scott & White Health’s Faith in Action Initiatives (FIAI) has worked diligently to gather toiletry kits, first aid kits and other supplies and equipment for those affected by the tornados in North Texas. FIAI has also coordinated with the Baylor Health Care System Foundation, All Saints Foundation and Irving Healthcare Foundation to collect monetary funds to support employees affected by the storms.
If you’re looking for a way to join the disaster relief effort, consider making a donation to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.