Community Health Network

Community Health Network supports Columbus Regional Hospital during flood recovery; Network offers monetary donation for flood relief and employment assistance

For release: 7/30/2008

Indianapolis, IN---Community Health Network is supporting Columbus Regional Hospital and its employees, following devastating floods last month.  Community is donating $100,000 to the Columbus Regional Hospital Foundation’s Flood Recovery Fund, to aid in the flood relief efforts at the hospital, which suffered $110 million in damages from record flooding on June 7.

In addition to the monetary donation, Community Health Network has supported Columbus Regional by employing staff primarily at Community Hospital South and the Indiana Surgery Center-South, with a smaller percentage of staff employed at Community Hospital East.  To date, more than 40 employees are working in the network, with the majority of positions including medical/surgical; intensive care unit (ICU); progressive care unit ( PCU); post-anesthesia care unit (PACU); surgical; behavioral care; and case management registered nurses.  Other health care professionals, including LPNs, physicians, surgical technicians and instrument technicians have also been employed.   Once Columbus Regional reopens, employees who were temporarily hired by Community will go back to Columbus to resume their jobs.  Community does not plan to hire these employees long-term.

“We are pleased to help employees at a sister hospital get back on their feet,” said Bill Corley, president and CEO of Community Health Network.  “Their work experience with Community is an opportunity for them to maintain and improve their skills during this disaster period.  Community has taken great strides to provide a complete orientation experience prior to employment.” 

A team of Community Health Network nursing leaders and HR staff traveled to Columbus to orient Columbus Regional’s staff to the network.  Karen Shanks, vice president of human resources, led this effort so that Columbus workers did not have to come to Indianapolis for the required orientation process. 

Community Health Network’s donation will help rebuild the emergency department at Columbus Regional, which has been operating as a mobile unit since the flooding.  Up to eight inches of water inundated the hospital, flooding not only the emergency department, but also other key services in the facility, such as the pharmacy, laboratory, information systems and others.  Some services and units will not reopen until October, due to the extensive damage. 

“It is great to see an outpouring of help from the entire health care community,” said Jan Bingle, chief nursing officer at Community Health Network.  “We are proud to be among the many hospitals and health care organizations that have assisted another hospital in their time of need.  We all have an obligation to the community to rally around these health professionals and continue a high level of health care services.” 

Ranked among the top 20 integrated health care networks in the nation, Community Health Network has more than 70 sites of care throughout central Indiana. This includes Community Hospitals East, North and South in Indianapolis and Community Hospital Anderson; The Indiana Heart Hospital, a dedicated heart hospital; Indiana Surgery Centers; Community Physicians of Indiana; Community Home Health Services; MedCheck urgent care centers and MEDPOINT express convenience clinics; employer health services; nursing homes; and other health care facilities. Community Health Network is committed to getting you well and back to your life. For more information about Community Health Network or to find a physician, call 800-777-7775 or visit eCommunity.com.

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Lynda de Widt
Media Relations
Community Health Network
317-621-3636
E-mail