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Asheville-based healthcare company working to help hundreds of employees impacted by Helene

Employees at Aeroflow passing out supplies.
Aeroflow
/
Submitted Image
Employees at Aeroflow passing out supplies.

An Asheville-based medical equipment company is working to take care of its employees, after hundreds of them suffered losses from Helene.

Aeroflow is a nationwide provider of products, like breastfeeding pumps, diapers, and catheters. It’s made up of four divisions: Breast Pumps, Diabetes, Urology, and Sleep.

Allison Pullen, the sales manager for the urology department, lives in Hendersonville. She said while she wasn’t impacted by Helene, some employees with the company lost their cars, clothes and food. But, Pullen added, Aeroflow has provided its 600 employees who live in western North Carolina with some relief.

“We have this pantry set up where people can and get food or water,” she said. “We've got hoses outside, so that people can come and fill up buckets and take non-potable water back, so that they can flush their toilets and just give themselves and their families a small sense of normalcy.”

The company’s CEO Casey Hite said Aeroflow itself was largely unaffected, with the exception of losing electricity, internet, and water for a short time. The building was closed for about a day and half. But he said those impacted were unable to come to work due to damages from the storm, with some no longer having a place to live.

“We have roughly 55 of those employees that have lost their homes or in need of adequate housing,” Hite said. “So, we put together a fund to help secure housing for those 55 employees and are paying for them to stay in that housing, until the issue is resolved.”

Hite said since schools are out in the area, Aeroflow is also offering childcare for small children, and older children can come to work with their parents.

Sharryse Piggott is WUNC’s PM Reporter.
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