The HCA Healthcare nurse behind the viral hurricane onesies

Earlier this month, dozens of HCA Healthcare affiliate hospitals in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas coordinated Hurricane Dorian emergency preparedness operations with our command center in Nashville, Tennessee. Affiliate Orange Park Medical Center found the silver lining of Hurricane Dorian in the six new lives that were welcomed into the world during the storm.

The Orange Park, Florida hospital welcomed babies Kiami, Alina, Yuliana, Charlotte, My’kah and Cameron during the hours leading up to and during Hurricane Dorian. The babies received special “hurricane” onesies that quickly went viral.

Six babies were born at affiliate Orange Park Medical Center in the hours leading up to and during Hurricane Dorian.

The adorable hurricane onesies were the latest edition of special surprises that some labor and delivery patients at Orange Park Medical Center receive on holidays and other special occasions. The “welcome-to-the-world” gestures are all thanks to transition nursery nurse, Lauren Hodges.

Transition nursery nurse, Lauren Hodges crafts special “welcome to the world” surprises for labor and delivery patients.

Lauren joined Orange Park Medical Center in 2015 as a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) Nurse. Throughout the past four years her compassion for the babies in her care has helped raise the bar for women and children’s services.

“What Lauren does is out of pure love for our babies,” said Suzanne Jones, director of women and children’s services at Orange Park Medical Center. “When we look at our values – compassion, ownership and excellence – she is a prime example of what we strive to provide every day to our moms and babies.”

Nurse Lauren Hodges holds baby My’kah, who was born during Hurricane Dorian.

In her spare time, Lauren creates bassinet name cards to match the baby’s at home nursery and fun themed onesies to help the families celebrate their new addition.

In her spare time, nurse Lauren Hodges creates bassinet name cards to match the baby’s at home nursery

The hospital shared a video of the onesies on their Facebook page following the hurricane and it quickly went viral. Within 24 hours, the Orange Park Medical Center hurricane babies had been shared through over 50 media outlets across the United States and on national news to include CNN, MSN and U.S. News.

Lauren’s themed onesies have been recognized through social media and local media many times over the years. Her onesies have included 4^th of July, Mother’s Day, Easter and last Christmas and New Year’s. Returning moms now look forward to getting the “Lauren Experience” when they come back to Orange Park Medical Center to deliver their baby.

Part of HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division, Orange Park Medical Center has grown from a small community hospital founded in 1974 to a top healthcare provider in northeast Florida. Orange Park Medical Center is a full-service, acute-care hospital with 317 inpatient beds. There are nine labor, delivery and recovery room suites for new mothers and a seven-bed, Level-2 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for premature babies and those born with special needs.