DELAND, FLORIDA, March 19, 2007—On February 2, 2007 Florida Hospital DeLand staff and community members suffered a devastating blow from the tornadoes that ripped through the area. In the month following the tornadoes, the Florida Hospital family came together to show overwhelming support for their fellow employees and those in the community who suffered loss by providing food and raising funds.
As of March 1, 2007, the Florida Hospital West Volusia Foundation had received more than $42,000 specifically intended to assist Florida Hospital DeLand staff, physicians, volunteers and board members impacted by the storm. The Florida Hospital Memorial System raised more than half of the funds contributing a total of $27,000. Other contributors included Park Ridge Hospital in North Carolina, Florida Hospital Zephyr Haven Health and Rehab Center, and Florida Hospital Oviedo.
“Florida Hospital is not just another large hospital system. It’s a mission-driven family of caring people who want to make a difference,” said CEO and President of Florida Hospital DeLand, Daryl Tol. “I am amazed by the generosity of our sister hospitals and very proud to be a part of this organization.”
In addition to receiving assistance for their own employees, Florida Hospital DeLand immediately reached out to the community by delivering over 1,000 meals to the community hardest hit by the storms. The auxiliary, through the Pinkie Resale shop, provided clothing to those in need within the community and Florida Hospital in Orlando collected mounds of supplies to give to those in need on Valentine’s Day. Employees from seven campuses collected non-perishable food items, diapers, toiletries and cleaning supplies. They delivered the items to the food distribution site at Woodlands Plaza on February 14.
In addition to the relief efforts, Florida Hospital DeLand reached out to a fellow health care partner when their clinic was demolished by the storm. Florida Hospital DeLand went to great lengths to sublease space for 3 months at no cost to the Volusia County Health Department for the Women’s Health Services clinic. The space will serve as a temporary location until they can rebuild. Florida Hospital Fish Memorial also provided space in the Summit Medical Office Building on its campus to house the Volusia County Health Department Primary Care and Pharmacy services.
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Florida Hospital DeLand, located at 701 West Plymouth Avenue in DeLand, was established in 1962 and is a 156-bed acute-care hospital. The hospital was named to the Solucient Top 100 Performance Improvement Leaders list for the second consecutive year. The honor recognizes hospitals and their management teams for leading facilities to achieve the fastest rate of consistent annual organizational improvement among all U.S. hospitals. Florida Hospital DeLand is a member of the Adventist Health System, the largest Protestant not-for-profit hospital system in the nation. For more information about Florida Hospital DeLand visit www.fhdeland.org.