Resiliency in the Florida Keys a Year After Irma

A year to the day after Hurricane Irma, a category 4 storm with winds of 130 miles per hour, made landfall on Cudjoe Key, Baptist Health celebrated the commitment of its teams in providing critical access to healthcare in the Florida Keys. Thousands of structures were damaged in the Middle Keys during Irma, one of the costliest hurricanes in recent history.

Even though Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon was permanently damaged during the storm, a mobile field hospital and permanent modular unit have provided care to more than 6,000 patients over the last 12 months.

Baptist Health leadership, clinicians, community leaders and patients came together to reflect on the some of the experiences shared during Irma and celebrate stories of personal triumph.

Plans for a $40-million building to replace Fishermen’s Hospital are in the works. The new one-story structure will be built to withstand hurricanes and designed to meet the medical needs of the community within a 35-mile radius, the distance to the nearest hospital in the Florida Keys.