TAMPA, Fla. — A staffing company that helps nursing homes and other senior care facilities is pitching in with recovery efforts following Hurricane Ian.
After seeing the devastation left behind by the storm, Gale Healthcare reached out to nursing homes with extensive damage asking them what they needed.
It wasn't long before Gale Healthcare filled a truck with supplies to deliver to southwest Florida nursing homes. The Tampa-based startup stacked the truck with items such as antibacterial wipes, rubber gloves, toiletries, blankets, towels and more to be delivered.
"Nursing homes do some of the most important work in our society, providing care for the most vulnerable. As a partner to these facilities, we know the challenges they face under normal conditions, and how devastating Hurricane Ian has been," Gale President Tony Braswell said in a news release. "We reached out to see how we can help, and quickly began gathering supplies that can help them get back up and running so they can provide their patients with the care they deserve."
Gale Healthcare works similarly to how Uber works. Nurses can see open jobs at hospitals and nursing homes through the app and choose to fill shifts in real-time.
The startup is just one of many hands putting in the work to help southwest Florida recover. All Hands and Hearts, an international disaster relief nonprofit, has committed to a yearlong volunteer program in southwest Florida, working around the clock to conduct relief efforts throughout the region.
This week, the number of deaths related to Hurricane Ian climbed to 92. In a new report released by Florida Medical Examiners, about 60 percent of Ian-related deaths are attributed to drowning, according to the latest line-by-line report.
