With an accomplished career in the health care industry, Gary Pulsipher found himself where no one wants to be: in the middle of a natural disaster.
Pulsipher, a 1983 MPA graduate, is president and CEO of St. John’s Hospital in Joplin, Missouri. When a massive EF5 tornado swept through town on 22 May 2011, Pulsipher’s hospital was in the middle of the destruction path.
Pulsipher’s youngest son had returned from serving a mission two days earlier, and their entire family was in town to celebrate. They heard the storm warnings but didn’t think much of something so ubiquitous in the Midwest. Pulsipher received a call that the hospital had been hit and drove over to make a routine check. He didn’t realize the magnitude of the storm until he entered the destruction path just blocks from his house. From there it became difficult to maneuver through the traffic and debris.
“I saw the hospital had been devastated and couldn’t imagine we didn’t lose a lot of staff and patients,” Pulsipher said. “It was like a bomb went off.”
In forty-five seconds, two hundred mile per hour winds had decimated St. John’s. Hospital staff, many injured themselves, immediately started putting into practice plans from their frequent disaster drills. When Pulsipher arrived, relief efforts were already underway. He got to work, helping carry patients out of the nine-story building and moving supplies to other treatment areas.
“It was one of those nights where you went to find where you could help the most,” he says. “I just jumped in, and it was exhilarating.”
Even with communications completely down, all 183 patients were evacuated and dispersed to other area hospitals within ninety minutes. Five patients who were already in critical condition died in the disaster, but all hospital staff stayed safe with only minor injuries.
The building itself is a total loss, estimated at millions of dollars in damage. Winds from the tornado were so strong that hospital debris were found 70 miles away. Less than a week after the tornado hit, St. John’s was operating as a field hospital across the street. After a sturdier temporary steel facility is ready in the coming months, the hospital will break ground in January 2012 to rebuild.
In the middle of everything is Pulsipher, whose job is markedly different now than it was just a few months ago. Instead of walking through the halls of a large hospital, he stoops as he walks through the tent labyrinth in the field hospital. Instead of focusing on budget and customer satisfaction scores, Pulsipher works on rebuilding and preserving jobs for his employees.
The difficult situation has brought out the best in this close-knit community and has proved a growing experience for all involved.
“I’ve been so impressed by the community’s resolve,” Pulsipher says. “We had a number of co-workers who lost everything, but they’ve accepted it and are ready to make the most of it and move on.”
