TAMPA – In the wake of Hurricane Milton, the AdventHealth West Florida Division sought to provide more than 25,000 gallons of gas and 10,000 gallons of diesel to support team members with urgent fuel needs across all 14 of its hospital campuses.
Several fuel tanker trucks, brought in from out of state, rotated between the hospitals to ensure staff had access to the fuel they needed to safely travel to and from work.
“The continuous service throughout the storm would not have been possible without our team members’ dedication – from our clinicians to our facilities crew monitoring back-up generators,” said David Ottati, president and CEO of the AdventHealth West Florida Division. “By providing this fuel, which has come from all across the country, we hope to support our team members as they continue delivering the high-quality, whole-person care our patients rely on.”
Rosemary Tyrkala, a facilities manager at AdventHealth North Pinellas, lost her home initially in Hurricane Helene and was in temporary housing when Hurricane Milton hit. Tyrkala said the 10 gallons of gas she received from her hospital made a huge difference.
“It’s one less thing to worry about,” Tyrkala said.“It meant that I didn’t need to go and stand in that line for hours to get gas so that I can go to work. I’m sure that’s how it assisted other people, knowing that if they had to get to work or if they had to get to a store for medicines or food or their necessities, that they had some gas in their car to be able to do it.”
