VGM & ASSOCIATESHealthcare MSO

DMEPOS Warriors: UnityPoint At Home

Published in Member Communities on August 27, 2020

A few weeks ago, devastating storms hit Iowa and Illinois and caused widespread destruction, power outages, loss of internet and phone services, gas shortages and more. But those challenges were just the beginning of what was to be figured out and fixes for many VGM & Associates members who were impacted by the Derecho 2020. 

A recurring theme between our members is an all-hands-on-deck mentality to take care of their patients and others, and we are so grateful and proud of each and every member not only during challenging times, but for what you do each and every day!

Here is a story from our member, UnityPoint At Home!

With locations all over Iowa, UnityPoint At Home embraced the all-hands-on-deck mentality to take care of their patients. The storm hit around noon that day when their team was in the office, and there were multiple technicians on the road or in patient homes. During the storm, the team felt like the roof was going to rip off. Those who were out driving looked for cover and hoped that their vans did not fly away like the semi trucks they saw being thrown from the roadway and buildings being torn apart in front of them.  

UnityPoint At Home's main focus was supplying patients with oxygen tanks since they had no idea how long this would last. They could only provide enough tanks to get through 24 hours and had to continue to make deliveries day after day to meet the needs. Des Moines was hit with many power outages, and so the Vice President and Director Pat Reeves were delivering tanks and other supplies to patients. Their Quad City location was affected as well with a power outage and patients needing tanks and supplies. Cedar Rapids was hit the worst with storms registering 140mph as the data reports. 

All patients have power, but many are displaced due to damaged homes. UnityPoint At Home is now out trying to pick up the many tanks delivered over the last 2 weeks.

The biggest challenge for UnityPoint At Home was knowing if they had enough tanks to service their patients, as well as being able to get to them with all the power lines down and trees across the roads.  

For UnityPoint At Home, there were many late nights, overtime, and working through the weekend to take care patients. Throughout all of this, Carrie Dempsey, Director of HME Operations, learned how amazing her team was. 

"Everyone was willing to put in many extra hours to make sure our patients had what they needed and completing job responsibilities they don’t normally do," said Carrie. "They were truly amazing as they were dealing with no power and damage at their homes, but still being dedicated to our patients."

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