On Giving Tuesday, a chance to help hospital workers impacted by hurricanes

Some hospital staff members, including nurses and others filling vital roles, suffered heartbreaking losses due to Hurricane Helene.

Others were affected by the powerful Hurricane Milton, which arrived just a couple of weeks later.

When Helene unleashed unprecedented flooding and damage across western North Carolina, the North Carolina Nurses Association and the North Carolina Foundation for Nursing activated a recovery fund to assist nurses who have suffered loss and damages.

So far, the fund has raised more than $49,000 to help 140 nurses, says Chris Cowperthwaite, director of communications and outreach for the North Carolina Nurses Association.

But other nurses have sought help, and the association is aiming to provide more assistance to nurses in need, Cowperthwaite said. He said the association is hoping to secure more donations on Giving Tuesday.

More than 100 additional nurses have sought assistance, and the association is hoping to help them, Cowperthwaite said.

Other associations set up fundraising efforts to help those impacted by the hurricanes.

The North Carolina Healthcare Foundation activated a disaster relief fund to help hospital employees that have been affected by Helene and suffered property damage. Asheville and surrounding communities in western North Carolina suffered disastrous flooding.

There are 22 acute care hospitals in the region that experienced flooding, and some of the workers at those facilities suffered heavy losses.

Portions of Tennessee suffered serious flooding from Hurricane Helene. The Tennessee Hospital Association has set up a fund for hospital staff severely impacted by the storm. The Tennessee Nurses Association also maintains a relief fund to help nurses.

The Florida Nurses Association set up a disaster relief fund for nurses who were affected by Helene and Milton.

Some health systems also stepped up to provide aid to those who lost property and suffered other financial damage to the hurricanes.

The BayCare Health System has committed up to $10 million to a BayCare Relief Fund to help any of its 32,000 employees who needed help.

HCA Healthcare aided many of its workers through its HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, which was created to help those in need.

The American Red Cross provided nearly 200,000 overnight stays in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. The Red Cross provided hundreds of thousands of meals. Those interested in making a donation can visit the Red Cross website.