Baxter Health Vice President of Marketing and Communication, Tobias Pugsley, spoke with KTLO’s Heather Loftis at noon Wednesday with that latest update. of Creekside Nursing Home residents after the Wednesday morning flooding.
He says 80 residents were evacuated safely and moved temporarily to the Marion County Fairgrounds in Summit. For more information on the status of residents Pugsley offered the following number to call at 870-449-4202.
Listen:
TRANSCRIPTION:
Loftis:
Tobias, we had a chance to speak with you earlier this morning as you were on site at Creekside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Please give us an update on Creekside.
Pugsley:
Yeah, so they are just wrapping up moving the last of the patients over to the fairgrounds. This is a tremendous effort from everybody, I mean just to come together and to move patients that quickly.
Got an opportunity to walk through the facility and it is just astonishing, I can’t imagine being in there as the water levels arose. I mean, some, some of the water lines Heather, I mean, it was literally three foot in the room, in the room, in some of these patient’s room and to talk to some of the patients, you know, you ask them, well, what did you do?
And they said, you know, well, thank goodness the mattress kind of floated and I can’t imagine what they, what they went through.
Loftis:
About 80 residents of that nursing home. Is that correct?
Pugsley:
That’s correct. 80 residents were, are being moved to the fairgrounds there in Marion County, and what they’re doing there is they’re staging.
So now Creekside has their people on the ground there, and they are working with the, their facilities in Harrison to get them placed. And also at this time we’ve got a phone number, too, we’re now where family members of the residents of Creekside can call. And what this number will do is it will forward to the administrator at Creekside and that’ll allow them to be able to check on their loved ones and that number is (870)449-4202. And again, that’s gonna, they were just getting that set up right here at the noon hour to be able to get that to forward to that administrator and, and also what they’re doing is, as they begin to place these patients, they’re, they’re getting them, they’re being able to call that, that person of contact and they’re letting that loved one know where those patients are being moved as a courtesy to them.
But I, but I can tell everybody, rest assured everybody looks good. Everybody’s in good spirits over there. But I’ll tell you. They’ve definitely been through it the last few hours. But I’ll tell you what, the, the tremendous amount of effort from everybody that came together. Heather, there wasn’t one injury in the transport of all these patients and during this whole ordeal.
Which is, I mean, astonishing really when you think about- when you see the damage, and as pictures and all those things start to come out, and you see some of that damage, it’s just a tremendous effort, and, you know, everybody from the county there in Marion County, you know, their office of emergency management folks you know, the folks at Baxter Health, both our home health service and, and our, you know, some of our clinic people came over there.
It just, everybody rallied, and, and just, you know, nurses, retired nurses showed up. And then of course we have several EMS crews there that were transporting patients. So just everybody to work hand in hand and to do that and, and to get those patients to a dry, safe place. It was pretty astounding to see behind the scenes.
Loftis:
Again, the fairgrounds will be used as a staging area as you relocate the residents of Creekside among 80 residents being relocated. Can you tell us where all they’re going to be relocated to?
Pugsley:
They’re trying to get most of them to Harrison where they have district facilities over there. They’re trying to go there, and then there was also looking at a place in Searcy for a few of them.
And they’re trying to keep them in the region as best they could. But that was the last time, right before I left checked with them, and that’s what they were, they were just trying to figure out the logistics of all that. Now, they did say, you know, it could take up to 12 hours, maybe even longer, to get all these.
These patients, you know, placed and transported into the facility and actually be able to shut down the fairgrounds there.
Loftis:
There was a call earlier for blankets, towels, food. Is that still the greatest need at this time?
Pugsley:
You know the community responded. I saw people started bringing in bags of clothes there was towels at this time they, they have everything that they need, I’m told but, you know as needs arise, we will reach back out to you all and let you know, but right now it sounds like they’re in pretty good shape.
Loftis:
An amazing story coming out of Yaleville this morning. Tobias, thank you for your time.
Puglsey:
Thank you.
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