Turning something bad into something good

Posted by on Tuesday, May 31, 2011 in June 2011.

On May 2, 2010, Harold “Cookie” Warpool stood in the basement of The Vanderbilt Clinic with water above his knees for nine hours. A year later, the plant services employee says the facility is nicer than it has ever been.

“We took something bad and made something good out of it,” Warpool says of the problems Vanderbilt experienced during the floods which devastated parts of Middle Tennessee in May 2010.

Approximately four feet of water filled the basement of TVC, which houses offices, clinics and millions of dollars of equipment. Warpool said the plant services staff worked countless hours to ensure the water was pumped out, the equipment was spared and no one had to evacuate.

Following the flood, the basement of TVC got a full remodel, complete with new drywall, carpet and vinyl. All furniture was removed and cleaned, and the facility received a thorough inspection for mold.

“Vanderbilt didn’t cut any corners,” Warpool said. “The people at Vanderbilt count on us, and everyone did a heck of a job.”

Warpool said the physicians and nurses in TVC held an appreciation dinner for the staff who worked so tirelessly to stop the water and repair the damaged facilities.

“We aren’t just Plant Services,” Warpool said. “We are Vanderbilt.”

—Jennifer Wetzel