On Friday, December 10 a tornado devastated the town of Monette, Ark. Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA) member facility Monette Manor took a direct hit and the facility was completely destroyed. AHCA has set up a Disaster Relief Fund through the Arkansas Health Care Foundation and launched an online campaign to accept monetary donations through crowdfunding platform DonorBox.
The funds in this account will go directly to the residents and staff members who lost everything in the storm. The fundraising page can be found here.
“Our long-term care community continues to come together and offer support to those impacted by the tornadoes that devastated Monette Manor,” said Rachel Bunch, executive director for AHCA. “We are particularly thankful to the 11 courageous staff members who were on-site during the storm. I’ve heard accounts of nurses and aids putting themselves between residents and windows and flying debris to help save lives. Singing hymns and praying aloud together, trying to help them think about something other than the tornado swirling around them. The staff’s actions were truly heroic.”
At the time of the tornado, Monette manor had 65 residents and 11 staff members in the facility. Thanks to our quick-acting staff, local EMS and state search and rescue, residents and staff were evacuated. Regrettably, there was one fatality. Some residents are now at home with family members, others were taken to local long-term care facilities and some are in nearby hospitals.
“A storm like this not only devastated the facility, causing residents to lose clothes and medications, but also unique and irreplaceable items like photos and holiday heirlooms, as well as wrapped gifts under trees for loved ones. The staff, too, had purchased gifts for the facility holiday party,” added Bunch.
Local dropbox locations have been set up for those wishing to provide tangible items. You can take your donations to:
- Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro on Harrisburg Road
- Arkansas Continued Care Hospital in Jonesboro on Red Wolf Boulevard
- Centennial Bank in Monette on Drew Avenue
- Online at https://donorbox.org/ahca-disaster-relief-fund
About AHCA:
Established in 1951, the Arkansas Health Care Association (AHCA) is the state’s largest organization of long-term care providers, representing more than 90% of the licensed long-term care facilities in Arkansas. Its responsibilities are to educate, inform and represent members and member facilities before government agencies, other trade associations and related industries.
