The morning of September 27, 2024, began calmly. Sunshine lit the mountains of East Tennessee, and for a moment, it felt like any other day. But at Unicoi County Hospital, leaders felt the weight of Hurricane Helene pressing closer.

For Chief Medical Officer Dr. Sean Oschenbein, the moment he will never forget came in a call with Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Jimmy Irwin and Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Director Michelle Matson.

Jimmy’s words cut through the quiet: “I don’t like how the water looks.” What had always been routine—a storm bringing rain, wind, maybe some peeled shingles on the roof—suddenly became a threat that could not be ignored.

From there, Dr. Oschenbein, alongside the hospital’s Jennifer Harrah, Chief Nursing Officer and Administrator, sprang into action. By the time the waters reached the hospital, escape routes were gone. Roads vanished beneath rapid currents. Ambulances meant for evacuation couldn’t pass, and floodwater pressed inside the building itself.

The teams didn’t hesitate. Nurses and physicians carried patients on their backs up ladders to the roof. Leaders moved room to room, marking walls to ensure no one was left behind. Firefighters, police, and EMS joined in the effort as staff sang and prayed with patients on the rooftop, steadying their spirits. Some patients quietly called loved ones, unsure if they would make it home. When helicopters finally appeared above the hospital, caregivers stepped aside so that their patients, and even their colleagues, could be rescued first.

By 4:00 p.m., every patient and every staff member had been rescued. Not one life was lost.

The story did not end there. Many employees went straight to nearby hospitals to sit with their patients, continuing their care even after surviving the unimaginable.

“People can do amazing things under unreal pressure,” said Jennifer Harrah, Chief Nursing Officer and Administrator at Unicoi County Hospital.

The actions of Ballad Health’s Unicoi County Hospital team turned what could have been a tragedy into a story of courage and selflessness. For their extraordinary response, they received the 2025 THA President’s Award. Their bravery stands as proof of what Tennessee’s hospitals promise every day: to be here for every storm.

Learn more here.