On September 28, 2022, Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida asone of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the United States.Smashing into the Sunshine State’s southwestern coast, the Category4 storm destroyed homes, knocked out power and communications,contaminated drinking water and wreaked havoc on infrastructure.The storm also upended people’s lives: about 130 deaths in Floridahave been attributed to it, while thousands remain in shelters.
With supplies delivered to the disaster zone by FedEx,International Medical Corps deployed a mobile medical unit (MMU)within days, first to Port Charlotte and then to Englewood, acoastal community just north of Fort Meyers. Some of the people wesaw at the clinic had only minor damage to their homes, whileothers had lost everything. The one thing everyone was havingtrouble with was getting access to healthcare. Given the extensivestorm damage and power outages, many local businesses were notoperating, including doctors’ offices and pharmacies. And only oneof the six hospitals in the county was fully functional.Repeatedly, we heard, “I can’t reach my doctor,” and “My pharmacyis shut down.” Others complained of long wait times at the oneemergency room in the area that was open. For many, uncertaintyabout their medical concerns only added to the worries they werefacing in the aftermath of the storm.
Our team of volunteer doctors and nurses cleaned, dressed andclosed wounds, refilled prescriptions for those with chronicconditions, checked blood pressure and blood sugar levels, gave flushots and provided general health consultations. “I had a verylarge cyst on the back of my hand that was supposed to be treatedby a doctor in North Port, but everything’s closed,” said onepatient who received care at our MMU.
“We’re trying to treat people before there is a needfor them to go to a higher level of care,” explained nurse PatMartin-Heath. Providing urgent care from a mobile clinic can helpreduce the stress on existing health facilities, which are likelyto be overwhelmed in a disaster, and prevent easily treatableconditions from becoming life-threatening medical emergencies.
FedEx and International Medical Corps have a long history ofcollaborating to support communities around the world in theirmoment of greatest need. “Our collaboration with FedEx has helpedus, time and time again, deliver on our mission of saving lives andrelieving the suffering of people affected by war, disease anddisaster,” says Rebecca Milner, Chief Advancement Officer forInternational Medical Corps. “We could not be more grateful.”