Poarch Band Of Creek Indians Donates $1 Million To Atmore Hospital: Funds will offset costs of coronavirus testing and pay for other urgent and long-term needs

ATMORE, Ala., April 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Poarch Band of Creek Indians today announced a $1 million donation to the Atmore Community Hospital which serves the city of Atmore and western Escambia County, Alabama, 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. 

In announcing the donation, Poarch's Tribal Chair and CEO Stephanie Bryan said, "We know how critically important Atmore Community Hospital is to our Tribe and all of our neighbors who live in and around Atmore. 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."

Chris Griffin, CEO of The Escambia County Healthcare Authority noted, "This extremely generous donation from the Tribe could not have come at a more opportune time.  We are committed to caring for our community, especially now during the Covid-19 crisis. 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 virus.  We are so grateful that Poarch has supported us at critically important times through the years, and this is certainly one of them."

About Atmore Community Hospital
Atmore Community Hospital (ACH) is governed by the Escambia County Healthcare Authority Board of Directors. It is a not-for-profit acute care hospital and generates the majority of its funding from the services it provides.

The hospital's facilities include an intensive care unit, a 24-hour emergency room, and general medical and surgical services. In addition, ACH services include Atmore Community Home Care, ACH Med Plus, ACH Family Physicians, ACH Primary Care, and ACH Therapy Services.  The hospital also offers programs and support to area citizens through health education. Please visit the ACH website at www.atmorehealth.org to learn more.

About the Poarch Band of Creek Indians
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around the reservation in Poarch, Alabama. The reservation is located eight miles northwest of Atmore, Alabama in rural Escambia County, and 57 miles east of Mobile. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Indian Tribe in Alabama, operating as a sovereign nation with its own system of government and bylaws.

The Tribe operates a variety of economic enterprises, which employ thousands of area residents. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is an active partner in the State of Alabama, contributing to economic, educational, social and cultural projects benefiting both Tribal Members and residents of these local communities and neighboring towns.

The Tribe's Planned Giving Campaign includes significant donations to local schools, education scholarships, senior centers, youth athletics, and charitable organizations. For more information about the Poarch Creek Indians, please visit www.poarchcreekindians.org.

SOURCE Poarch Band of Creek Indians