ICARE values resonate in wake of Hurricane Idalia damage
Every single day, staff members of the North Florida / South Georgia Veterans Health System ensure that our Veterans receive the best care possible by adhering to the VA’s ICARE Values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence.
When disaster strikes, they double-down as they did at the Perry VA Clinic in Perry, Fla., Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.
On Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023, Hurricane Idalia made its way through the Florida Gulf Coast with 125 mph winds, flooding streets, damaging homes, and suddenly shifting the lives of countless impacted by her destructive force.
The City of Perry, a small quiet town located within Florida’s Big Bend, was hit hard and the VA Clinic located here had to temporarily close its doors for official services due to some of the damage.
As damage was assessed, clinical providers among other resources were sent to provide assistance to Veterans who were impacted within the surrounding area of Perry.
“It was important that we came here today in order to provide in-person services to our Veterans within this community,” said Wende Dottor, Executive Health Systems Director for the NF/SG Veterans Health System.
From bumps and bruises to scrapes and scratches, these staff members were able to provide some triage to Veterans, many of whom were, and still are, without electrical power.
For one Veteran who relies on an oxygen tank to breath, his situation was dire when power went out, his generator was having issues, and he was forced to sleep in his vehicle so that he could plug in his oxygen tank. Despite this being outside of the usual realm of experience for our medical providers, Stephen Armisted, a Medical Doctor assigned to the Earnest I. “Boots” Thomas VA Clinic in Tallahassee, was one of the staff members rapidly deployed here, and refused to let this Veteran go unassisted and remained committed to help.
“We’re here to help Veterans,” said Armisted. “I’m a medical doctor and as I was listening to this Veteran, and what he needed wasn’t beyond what I can do.”
Armisted found out that this Veteran and his wife were elderly, living alone, and with little help at their house. Their generator was too heavy to carry and due to carbon-monoxide alarms, the couple was unable to keep the generator running consistently.
In conversation, it was revealed that the couple lived right down the street from the Perry VA Clinic. Armisted knew he could help. And so he did with the help of Chris King, a DAV Maintenance technician and driver.
The two members followed the couple to their home and quickly realized that the generator was near the house and just needed to be picked up and moved to a better area so that it could be accessed, utilized appropriately, and this Veteran could sleep in his bed instead of in his car.
“I felt so sorry for this couple,” Armisted mentioned. “This was an elderly couple, trees were all over the place at their house and they had no one to help them.”
The VA codifies its ICARE Value of commitment as working “diligently to serve Veterans and other beneficiaries. Be driven by an earnest belief in in VA’s mission. Fulfill my individual responsibilities and organizational responsibilities.”
Armisted’s commitment is the epitome of what the NF/SG VHS is all about.
“The VA has adopted what we call our ICARE Values and these are our core belief systems,” said Dottor. “What we do in the VA is special and I whole-heartedly support our staff members who go above and beyond to ensure that our Veterans are taken care, just like Chris and Dr. Armisted did today.”
Armisted and his actions also highlight the VA’s ICARE Value of excellence which is codified as striving “for the highest quality and continuous improvement. Be thoughtful and decisive in leadership, accountable for my actions, willing to admit mistakes, and rigorous in correcting them.”
“Excellence is all about that journey towards being better,” said Dottor. “What these professionals did today made things much better for our Veterans. I’m extremely happy with their commitment and excellence that they showcased today because that is exactly why we do what we do.”
“We wanted to make sure that they were in good shape,” said Armisted. “We were happy, they were happy and I’m just glad we were able to help them. We’re here to help Veterans, regardless of what it is.”
For more information on the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, please visit https://www.va.gov/north-florida-health-care/locations/malcom-randall-department-of-veterans-affairs-medical-center/.