Supporting Our HM Friends

My name is  Ayal Bitton and I work for The Advisory Board Company's Consulting Division in Nashville, TN.

Since Hurricane Harvey, I’ve been in close touch with my friend (and Advisory Board Company member/consulting client) Lisa Griffin, Director of Patient Access at Houston Methodist. 

Lisa is safe but – like many of her staff – she has lost her home and all of her belongings to the flooding.  Here’s some of what she has described to me over the weekend.

-  About a third of her patient  access staff are in group shelters or temporary living situations

-  There are 3-4 hour lines at supermarkets and stores with purchase limits of 2-3 items per purchase

-  Many of her staff are hourly employees and have limited financial reserves to cover essential needs

-  Some of the staff actually came to Houston from New Orleans following Katrina and are now reliving the trauma of losing everything

And yet despite her own personal losses, Lisa has been working selflessly in overdrive:

-  Flying herself out of state to purchase and bring back basic necessities in bulk for her staff (toiletries, clothing, etc.)

-  Helping to secure temporary housing and mattresses for their families

-  Filling out endless FEMA paperwork, and so on to see them through

-  She’s even converted one of their conference rooms to a “take what you need” room, which she has kept stocked with every variety of essentials  

While donations to national and Texas-based charities are absolutely meaningful, we have an opportunity to directly support our friends at Houston Methodist in their time of need.  

Please consider a contribution at your comfort level.  These funds will help Lisa provide basic support (clothing, food, toiletries/personal hygiene items,
mattresses, etc.) to her staff during what remains a desperate time.

Thank you,

Ayal Bitton
Nashville, TN