Hospital District "Heroes" Help During Flood

No one could have prepared for the watery onslaught that descended on Houston and Harris County the weekend of June 9. The Harris County Hospital District epitomized the spirit of perseverance as employees pulled together and did everything they could to help during this trying time.

While stories of heroism and unselfishness are too many to catalog, a few stories of HCHD heroes are worth sharing.

"HCHD fared better than many of our community's other health care providers during this terrible flooding," said John A. Guest, HCHD president and CEO. "Our employees at Harris-Ben Taub General Hospital, Harris-Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital and Harris-Quentin Mease Community Hospital performed valiantly over the June 9 weekend, amid very difficult circumstances."

The torrential flooding forced the closure of Memorial Hermann Hospital, one of two Level 1 Trauma Centers in Houston, leaving Ben Taub's Level 1 Trauma Center to treat patients in need of the highest level of trauma care available. Ben Taub and Hermann staffs united in an unprecedented collaboration to take care of the community's trauma needs.

Among the dozens of stories about HCHD staff's heroic feats are:

• Marilyn Stewart and Joanne Fleming, nutrition employees at LBJ Hospital who were stranded at work after their shift, took it upon themselves to prepare sandwiches and meals around the clock for patients, staff and visitors who were also stranded at the hospital. In a 40-hour stint, they helped prepare more than 2,000 meals.
  
  
• Kris Waters, an Emergency Center nurse at Ben Taub, saw news of the flood and rode his bike nearly four hours from Pearland to help. On his trip he was nearly hit by a car and was forced to complete his trek by walking through the flood and pushing his bike which became disabled when he swerved to avoid the car.
  
  
• Jaime Ochoa, a security officer at Harris-Aldine Health Center in far north Houston, one of the hospital district's 11 community health centers, risked his safety by using his boat to rescue stranded motorists off the Eastex Freeway and Tidwell. His efforts safely transported several families and their pets to nearby shelters.
  
  
• Dennis Schepmann, physical therapist at Ben Taub, would have been enjoying his day off. He saw the need for help and rode his bike through the storm to get to the hospital. He rounded up linen from unused areas of the hospital for other units in need.
  
  
• Cheryl Ivory, an HCHD breast cancer case manager, was so moved by the disaster, she volunteered at her northeast church and helped 50 people who were flooded out of their homes. The church provided the needy with food, dry clothes and a place to sleep.
  
  
• Jose Palacios, a rehab tech at LBJ, was making his way home and stopped to get gas at an area convenience store. As he was filling his tank, he saw a vehicle overtaken by floodwaters. The woman's car was quickly submerging so he jumped into action, breaking out her window and pulling her to safety.
  
  
• George DeGarmo, a certified technician at LBJ, was the lone staffer in his department to make it into work that day. He was forced to park along Loop 610 and walk several blocks to the hospital. From there he waded in water that was - at times - neck-deep. DeGarmo later braved the elements a second time to gather cold drinks, pizzas, candy and chips for the troops working at the hospital. He put all his supplies in a shopping cart but was unable to maneuver through the waters. An off-duty firefighter driving a truck took him the rest of the way to the hospital.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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