By: Maria Blong

A Story of Evolution 

If there’s one word to describe Krucial’s history, it is evolution. The company we were on our first deployment in 2011 is not the same company that helped staff the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and even then, we’re not that version of Krucial anymore. Evolving and growing have always been an essential part of Krucial’s story. We hope to continue the trend by expanding our impact on the healthcare and emergency response industry beyond our everyday tasks.  

As with any great story, there are always humble first steps. So, let’s start at the beginning.  

2011-2018 

Our first deployment was to Joplin, Missouri, to alleviate the aftermath of an EF5 tornado. Although we didn’t go by the name “Krucial,” Joplin was the birthplace of our passionate spirit and where it began to take shape. At the time, we were simply human beings moved to help victims of a devastating event with a willingness to figure out how to do it well.  

After assisting the Joplin tornado recovery, we were eager to do more and expand our knowledge in the emergency response field. In 2012, we supported an unaccompanied minor surge in Texas and deployed staff to our first hurricane deployment in New York for Hurricane Sandy.  

As the years progressed, we improved and honed our skills for running shelter sites and ECR operations, with a strong uptick in emergency response deployments occurring from 2017-2018. We assisted with another unaccompanied minor border surge, Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Harvey, and ran a shelter site for victims from a series of fires and explosions. These years were critical for gaining industry knowledge and building the foundation for us to evolve into an independent entity.

2019-2022 

In 2019, Krucial Staffing was officially established. We were a small group of people with a passion for helping others in their greatest time of need. We had dreams of being successful, but even then, no one could have predicted the drastic growth we were about to experience over the course of three years.  

During our first hurricane season as Krucial, we sent staff all along the Atlantic coast to operate shelter sites for Hurricane Barry and Hurricane Dorian. Although we were a small team, we brought shy of a decade’s worth of experience to the table, staffing 11 shelter sites in the summer of 2019.  

Then the unpredictable happened. In March of 2020, the COVID-19 virus rippled across the United States in huge waves, impacting New York and naming it the epicenter of the pandemic. As quarantine orders were initiated all over the country, Krucial was deploying thousands of medical staff to support New York City’s public health systems.  

It was a pivotal moment in not only our history but the world’s history, and we evolved once again to combat a disaster ripping a gash in our country’s healthcare system. Our team rapidly expanded to meet the demand of medical personnel needing assistance in understaffed COVID-19 hotspots in New York, Texas, and Louisiana.  

With each new wave of COVID-19 or hurricane disaster that breached our shores, Krucial was there to meet it head-on. We helped fight the Delta and Omnicom variants in addition to providing aid to those affected by Hurricane Laura, Delta, and Alexandria. As we watched our Krucial Krew battle for their patient’s health, we also witnessed a shift in the healthcare landscape. Rising numbers of burnout, stress, anxiety and resignation were occurring in the medical industry.  

We couldn’t stand here and do nothing – not after everything our Krew sacrificed to serve and bring our mission to life. It was time for Krucial to give back to its community and evolve again to help others but in more than one way.  

2022 

In August of 2022, we announced our change from Krucial Staffing to Krucial Rapid Response, stating that we will be “a nonprofit corporation rapidly preparing, mobilizing, and deploying medical personnel and critical resources to communities across the U.S.” in addition to “[providing] relief to the distressed and underserved by increasing access to health care support and other essential services.” 

So, what does that mean for Krucial?

A Glimpse into the Future 

We’re still going to be deploying and giving our Krucial Krew the pay they deserve, except now, we’re pouring back into our healthcare systems through nonprofit initiatives. It looks like reaching more at-risk and underserved communities, continuing to assist with natural disasters, closing the patient-to-nurse ratio in isolated rural hospitals, and encouraging people to pursue a medical career through educational resources.  

Krucial has always been the vehicle helping Krew arrive to and fulfill their life’s purpose. The nurses, technicians, respiratory therapists, EMTs, and so many others are the heartbeat of our organization. We are following where our heart leads us, and that translates to giving back to our Krucial community.  

We hope to continue evolving and growing down this path, wherever it leads us.