Hurricanes test Florida community health centers' resilience and adaptability

In the aftermath of this year's hurricanes, Florida community health centers proved indispensable in disaster response and recovery, providing far more than medical care.

The back-to-back blows of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton left many Florida counties reeling, testing the resilience and adaptability of healthcare providers.

Kim Schuknecht, chief operating officer at Evara Health in Pinellas County, said her organization had plans to deploy mobile units to beach communities after Hurricane Helene, but Milton’s swift arrival and widespread flooding thwarted those efforts.

"By the time we were able to get that all worked out with the mayors of the different areas, here comes Milton. So, we weren't even able after the first hurricane to get out there," she said. "That really was an inhibitor for us to be able to go out and do some mobile services because so many areas, we couldn't drive in them."

As Florida looks ahead to the next hurricane season, Schuknecht said her operation is refining its preparedness strategies. That includes emergency drills simulating both natural and man-made disasters.

This is a News In Brief report. Visit WLRN News for in-depth reporting from South Florida and Florida news.

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