News Staff Report
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians announced Monday, April 6, a $1 million donation to Atmore Community Hospital which serves the city of Atmore and western Escambia County, where the Poarch Creek Tribe’s trust lands are located.
The donation, which was earlier approved by Poarch’s Tribal Council, provides funding that the hospital urgently needs to replace vital equipment such as a CT scan, ultrasound imaging, and new hospital beds.
Additionally, funding from the Tribe will help the hospital meet added expenses and staffing needs associated with collecting samples for testing and caring for patients potentially affected by the COVID-19 virus.
“We know how critically important Atmore Community Hospital is to our Tribe and all of our neighbors who live in and around Atmore,” Poarch’s Tribal Chair and CEO Stephanie Bryan said. “We understand the financial challenges that rural hospitals like it face every day, and we support its mission and its leadership.
“That is especially true now that our country is dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure this great hospital that serves our community has what it needs.”
“This extremely generous donation from the Tribe could not have come at a more opportune time,” Escambia County Healthcare Authority CEO Chris Griffin said. “These funds will help us pay for the expensive equipment and capital improvements that we have sorely needed, and the Tribe has also made it possible for us to cover the unexpected costs associated with the (COVID-19) virus. We are so grateful that Poarch has supported us at critically important times through the years, and this is certainly one of them.”