CHARLOTTE, N.C. — During the coronavirus pandemic, Starmount Healthcare Management, the group behind StarMed, became a popular location for COVID testing and vaccines. Now the health care group is looking to find new ways to help after natural disasters like Hurricane Ian.
Starmount's new group, North Rapid Response, will respond to disasters to help communities rebuild and deliver donations.
Their first mission will be to southwest Florida to help communities most impacted by Hurricane Ian.
"The mission of the company really is to be able to respond to natural disasters, Tracey Hummell, the chief operating officer for Starmount, said. "We just want to be a solution. So whatever happens in our community and around, we want to be able to pick up and respond and help however we can.
Hummell said the company hired a lot of extra staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been able to redeploy some of the staff for North Rapid Response.
"Why not use these resources to help form another company that can continue to give back in other ways," Hummell explained.
Starmount is also hiring volunteers to help sort and collect donations, load up vehicles, and drive to Florida
They’re hoping to collect items to bring on their Florida mission:
- Water
- Paper towels
- Nonperishable food items
- Razors, shampoo, and body wash
- Towels
- Food gift cards
- Baby food/formula and baby diapers
- Hygiene items
- Toothpaste and toothbrushes
- Gloves
- Trash bags
- Cleaning supplies
- Bug spray
North Rapid Response will collect the items at these three StarMed and StellarMed clinic locations:
- StarMed Family & Urgent Care, FreeMore clinic, 4001 Tuckaseegee Rd. Hours to drop off items: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 8:30 to 5 p.m. weekends.
- StarMed Family & Urgent Care, Eastland clinic, 5344 Central Ave. Hours to drop off items: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.
- StellarMed Urgent Care & Occupational Medicine, 4355 Gum Branch Rd., Jacksonville, NC. Hours to drop off items: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Donations are also being collected at Keith Clinic Estramonte Chiropractic locations in Charlotte:
- West office - 4016 Triangle Drive
- South office - 7001-A South Boulevard
- North office - 402 East Sugar Creek Road
- East office - 5344 Central Avenue
The number of storm-related deaths exceeded 100 people. According to reports from the Florida Medical Examiners Commission, 98 of those deaths were in Florida. Five people were also killed in North Carolina, three in Cuba and one in Virginia.
Ian is the second-deadliest storm to hit the mainland U.S. in the 21st century behind Hurricane Katrina, which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005. The deadliest hurricane ever to hit the U.S. was the Great Galveston Hurricane in 1900 that killed as many as 8,000 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.