Heroism and Hope Emerge From the LA Fires

How we are helping our employees impacted by the fires

On the night of January 7, Gavin Perez’s family waited nervously in their Altadena home as the furious winds whipped the Eaton fire closer to their home. At 3 a.m. the next morning, Gavin’s father made the call: It was time to leave. Gavin, his parents, sister and brother, evacuated their beloved home of 21 years.

The following day, Gavin, a 23-year-old patient financial service representative at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, learned that the house, and the entire block, filled with neighbors who were also good friends, had burned to the ground. In the panic and confusion of helping his family pack up to escape, Gavin left nearly all his personal possessions behind, saving only a leather jacket, his school yearbooks and his sports trophies.

Gavin is one of dozens of Keck Medicine of USC employees who lost their homes in the Los Angeles fires. Others’ homes were damaged, and many others had to evacuate. A number of our care providers and staff still cannot return home due to unsafe conditions. And new fires continue to break out in our region, adding new challenges for our staff.

Each individual tale of the fire contains its unique poignancy, such as the story of Keck Hospital of USC lab technician Ryan Blake. Ryan was evacuated from his home in Altadena and spent the next 12 hours assisting local paramedics in the area as a volunteer with the Pasadena Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services Reserve. He returned to his house the next morning, extinguished any smoldering flames and cleared brush to ensure his home would stay standing (it was only one of three on the street that remained), then went back to volunteering.

It is heartbreaking that so many of our colleagues have had to face so much upheaval and loss. It’s also admirable that our care providers and staff continue to provide care to our patients even as their personal lives are turned upside down.

It gives me some ease of mind that the health system’s Care for the Caregiver Program is there to offer support for those employees affected by the fires. We immediately set up a helpline after the fires began to provide emotional support and resources. We placed individuals in hotels and are working with a partner agency to help our staff find both short- and long-term housing options. We also created a Caregiver Emergency Fund to support fire-related needs.

I am also appreciative of the support our staff is providing for their coworkers impacted by the fire. Our employees have raised money for coworkers in need, provided meals and donated needed items. I am also grateful for the extra care they are giving patients who have been impacted by the fires. Just like some of our staff, not all patients have homes to return to.

We will continue to do everything we can to support our staff, patients and community as they face the threat of new fires or heal and recover from previous ones.

As for Gavin, he returned to work last week. “I care about the hospital. I care about the patients. And I missed my co-workers,” he said.

The young patient representative also sounds a note of hope for the future that may encourage us all. When asked what his family will do next, he replied, “There is no choice. We will return to the neighborhood we love. We will rebuild.”

We will continue to do everything we can to support our staff, patients and community.

Rod Hanners

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