Five years ago the most disastrous and deadliest tornado ever to hit Franklin County had an enormous impact on Russellville Hospital and its staff.
Russellville Hospital was the closest to Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, the areas most affected by the natural disaster. Keri Moody, marketing director at Russellville Hospital, recounted the events of that tragic evening.
With Russellville Hospital being the closest hospital, it quickly reached capacity late into the night of April 27 and had to begin diverting to other facilities. The staff responded quickly and efficiently to help save the lives of the first victims from the Phil Campbell area. Thirty-nine children and adults, some of whom were critically injured, were admitted within a three-hour window.
“The performance of the staff in this high-stress situation was excellent,” Moody said.
Upon the arrival of the first victims, the disaster plan was immediately activated. Russellville Hospital has a very detailed disaster plan that provides roles and responsibilities for each employee during a disaster such as a tornado. Each employee is educated on the plan, and each year the employees participate in a disaster drill. After each drill, management critiques the plan and makes improvements as needed.
Moody offered reassurance that the disaster plan is sound, solid and seeks continuous improvement.
“We continually improve our disaster plan, but our response in general would be the same,” Moody said.
Treatment of the victims continued early into the next morning. Caring for several injured people was a difficult task, but it was accomplished in a very professional and admirable fashion. Russellville’s small rural hospital responded like a major trauma center.
“We received numerous compliments from the community on how the hospital responded as a team to deliver compassionate care and comforted families,” Moody said.
The level of injuries and pace at which people were arriving was unlike anything the employees had ever experienced, but the staff remained calm and in control. The teamwork and rapport of the hospital employees and physicians was amazing.
Theemployees and physicians responded quickly to assist with the influx of patients. Specifically, 17 additional physicians and numerous employees responded to help. Many employees working that night resided in the towns of Phil Campbell and Hackleburg.
“These employees stayed and helped, with little or no communication on the safety of their own families,” Moody said, praising the many individuals that worked that night.
As the media contact at the hospital, Moody was tasked with succoring the loved ones of the injured victims. The hospital was the first stop for many families from the affected areas when they began the victim location process.
“We received an influx of these families in addition to the victims, and I assisted with helping these families,” Moody said.
Russellville is a community that is very hospitable to those who need a hand in times of distress. The hospital, a very integral part of the community, has a wonderful staff that definitely went above and beyond on April 27 to help both the victims and their loved ones.
“There was not a person in the entire hospital who wasn’t doing something to save a life, make people comfortable, or help in some way,” Moody said.
The citizens of Russellville, Hackleburg and Phil Campbell are very blessed and thankful to have a hospital staff that cares as much the staff at Russellville Hospital.
