As a historic winter storm swept through Middle Tennessee last weekend, bringing freezing rain, ice, and single-digit temperatures, a group of nurses at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital Midtown showed what it means to be truly committed to their calling.
Lindsey Greene and three of her longtime colleagues didn’t just brave the elements - they packed their bags, grabbed some snacks, and moved into a hotel near the hospital to make sure they could keep showing up for their patients. Greene, along with Registered Nurse Amy Ichinose, Nurse Practitioner Cathy Hogan, and Nurse Sarah Newkirk, make up a tight-knit team in the hospital’s obstetrical emergency department.
When the weather turned dangerous, they didn’t flinch. They just got to work.
“We knew the weather that was coming, but it wasn’t an option for us not to come in,” Greene said. “Our patients needed us.
It was business as usual at the hospital. Despite the rain and sleet and snow, people were still having babies.
EMS was still bringing in patients.”
That’s the reality in a department that deals with high-risk pregnancies - the kind of cases where every second matters. Greene’s team typically works 12-hour shifts from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays every third weekend.
But when the storm hit, they didn’t just work their regular shifts. They stayed on for another 12 hours on Monday, knowing it was safer for them - and for everyone else - to avoid traveling in the treacherous conditions.
The group’s dedication is built on years of experience together. Greene said the four of them have worked side by side for seven years. That kind of chemistry matters, especially in high-pressure environments like obstetrical emergencies, where quick decisions and seamless teamwork can make all the difference.
Even after their extended shifts, the storm’s aftermath didn’t let up. Greene, Ichinose, and Newkirk were finally able to return home Monday night - although Greene, who lives in Madison and was scheduled to work again Friday, still didn’t have power as of Tuesday afternoon.
Hogan, who lives farther away in Murfreesboro, stayed an extra night at the hotel. And they weren’t the only ones making that kind of sacrifice.
Greene said the hospital’s night-shift nurses also stayed in nearby hotels to ensure they could be there when needed.
Across the Ascension Saint Thomas system, the response was just as strong. According to hospital spokesperson Sherri McKinney, around 400 employees across the network’s seven Middle Tennessee hospitals either stayed in hotels or slept at the hospital to be ready to work their scheduled shifts - or pick up extra ones.
Greene and Hogan had booked two hotel rooms just a few blocks from the Midtown hospital, and the group made do with leftovers from home and snacks from the vending machines. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was enough.
When asked whether they’d do it all again in another emergency, Greene didn’t hesitate: “Absolutely. No question.
This is what we are called to do. Everyone in the group wanted to be with their families last weekend, but we just made a good time out of it.”
Statewide Impact
While the nurses were keeping things steady inside the hospital, the storm was wreaking havoc across the state.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that by Tuesday night, road conditions had improved in some areas, but ice and fallen trees were still a major issue. Their statewide report painted a clear picture of the storm’s impact: 72 crashes involving injuries, 317 crashes with property damage, 1,423 motorist assists, and 164 abandoned vehicles.
Col. Matt Perry said troopers were teaming up with State Homeland Security Special Agents to conduct welfare checks on Tennesseans who hadn’t been heard from since the storm began - a sobering reminder of how dangerous the conditions had become.
Power Outages and Restoration Efforts
The Nashville Electric Service (NES) was also deep in the trenches. Crews worked through the night to restore power after ice and freezing rain battered the electrical grid. As of Tuesday afternoon, NES reported that power had been restored to 111,000 customers - a major effort, but still just part of the challenge.
At that point, around 119,000 customers were still without power, and NES had identified at least 216 broken poles across its service area. Crews and contractors were working extended 14-16 hour shifts to keep pushing toward full restoration.
Some of the hardest-hit areas included North Nashville, Bellevue, Hendersonville, Madison, East Nashville, Goodlettsville, and Brentwood - each with at least 1,000 customers still in the dark.
A Unified Response
In the face of a brutal storm, the response across Middle Tennessee has been nothing short of remarkable. From nurses who turned hotel rooms into makeshift dorms to lineworkers grinding through double shifts in freezing conditions, the effort has been all hands on deck.
And while the snow will melt and the power will come back on, the resilience and dedication shown by frontline workers - like Greene and her team - won’t be forgotten anytime soon. They didn’t just weather the storm. They met it head-on, with grit, grace, and a deep sense of purpose.