Kitty Askins reopens at O'Berry
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on October 15, 2016 10:11 PM
Kitty Askins is open for business as usual, just at a different location, officials said Friday.
The hospice center was another victim of Hurricane Matthew last weekend, when an estimated 17 inches of water entered the building via air conditioning units.
Renovations are expected to keep the facility on Wayne Memorial Drive closed until possibly mid-November.
Patients and staff rode out the storm last Saturday as it dumped "a tremendous amount of rain" on the area that day alone, said Mary Bartlett, vice president for finance and CFO at 3HC.
"We were fortunate that our director of Kitty Askins, Rhonda Creech, was able to get back to the center," she said. "All the residential patients were moved to the acute side of the building."
Plans were made to relocate patients after the storm was over, initially to the hospital before learning that a wing was available at O'Berry Center.
"The staff at Kitty Askins were heroic that evening," Mrs. Bartlett said. "They stayed with the patients. They kept all the patients safe.
"They were able to feed the patients grits Sunday morning so they could take their medications, before they were transferred to a building at O'Berry Center."
Emergency responders assisted in the transfer, she said.
"We have got about 14 or 15 patients out there," she said. "We did begin (Thursday) admitting new patients."
This past week has been spent assessing the damage and embarking on cleanup efforts.
The facility has 12 beds on the residential side and 12 on the acute care side, which were added in 2011. Some water did get into the new addition, Mrs. Bartlett said, but damage was limited to the carpet in the hallway and the wood floor.
"It's just a matter of getting the materials," she said. "We started working Sunday on all this.
"We began airing out the building on Sunday. High Standard Cleaning came in and put in fans starting Sunday evening and they were there on Monday, starting to do the cleaning."
Officials are focusing on making the best decisions for the center, she explained, as well as having to comply with regulations and inspections.
"The kitchen is fine. All the patient rooms are fine. That side will open," she said. "We're seeing patients."
The patient beds are also in good shape, she said, but the other patient furniture will be replaced.
A manufacturing company learned of the transfer of patients and stepped in to provide 18 brand new beds, slated to be delivered to O'Berry and assembled on Friday, Mrs. Bartlett said.
"I feel good about patient care at O'Berry Center, but of course we want to be back home," she said. "Emergency responders are still out there helping out and there have been other patients moved to the facility from Lumberton. (O'Berry) is actually set up out there to do surgery."
Mrs. Bartlett said that 3HC is appreciative that Building 502 was made available at O'Berry, as it not only meets the needs of the patients but allows them to stay in one place and not have to be moved again until time to return to Kitty Askins.
"We're seeing patients, doing all we can and feel very blessed," she said, adding that they probably will cap the number of patients seen at 18 while at O'Berry. "We felt like that was all the patients we could accommodate."
Meanwhile, efforts continue to remedy any issues on the main site.
"We're doing the right things. All the flooring, including the patient rooms, will be replaced. Even the nursing stations will be replaced," she said. "We'll have another facelift.
"We have been fortunate. We do have flood insurance and business interruption insurance."
They have also received some wonderful response from the community.
Many have stepped up to support the facility.
"Volunteers are down there, essentially throwing things out that need to be thrown out," she said. "We'll have some ideas for how folks can help as we move back in."
It may take some time but the facility will be restored as soon as possible.
"We're going to work just as quick and hard as we can," Mrs. Bartlett said. "Kitty Askins is a building but it's the heart and soul of the people. That still exists."