EnerSys helping power the future of heart care at Baptist Health Richmond

Every day in Richmond, EnerSys powers movement.

Inside five facilities across town, more than 570 employees manufacture industrial batteries that keep forklifts running, materials moving and industries operating. It’s work that powers progress.

Kentucky consistently ranks among the highest in the nation for heart disease mortality, and communities like Richmond and its surrounding counties feel those effects. Members of the EnerSys leadership team have experienced heart emergencies personally, within their families and even among their coworkers.

They have seen firsthand how proximity to advanced cardiac care can make the difference between tragedy and survival.

Just last year, an EnerSys employee was found unresponsive in a restroom at the plant. Jason Ingram, Operations Manager and Supply Chain Manager, was nearby.

"I came up to where it was happening and I asked, ‘Do you need me to call 911?’ And he said, ‘Oh no, I think I’m going to be okay.’ But I just felt like something was off,” Jason recalled. “I went ahead and called 911.”

Madison County EMS, located directly across the street, responded within minutes and determined the man was having a heart attack. They immediately took him to Baptist Health Richmond, where he received life-saving care in their Cardiac Cath Lab.

The quick response was a sobering reminder for EnerSys leadership that proximity, and access to advanced heart care, save lives.

Plant Controller Ed Neeley learned this lesson years earlier. In 2009, he experienced his own cardiac scare while at EnerSys.

"I wasn’t feeling well, and I thought I could just walk it off like you’re supposed to," Ed remembered. "We have a plant nurse here, and she said, ‘You need to go across the street to the hospital."

Ed quickly learned it was an aneurysm in his heart. Caregivers at Baptist Health Richmond responded without delay, evaluating his condition and providing the immediate care necessary to protect his life.

"If it weren’t for Baptist Health being so close, who knows what would have happened?" Ed asked.

For Plant Manager Micah Meeker, the connection is personal as well.

"I had an incident with my father back in August,” Micah shared. “He had a heart attack and had care here at Baptist Health Richmond. The treatment they provided in the Cath Lab was critical to his survival."

Micah has spent nearly three decades at EnerSys. As these stories of life-saving care provided by Baptist Health Richmond began to stack up, the leader and dedicated member of his community knew it was time to act.

He began to ramp up conversations internally about how EnerSys could invest in something impactful.

"As a leader here, you feel a degree of responsibility in trying to keep your team as safe as possible," Jason added. "It’s just a very comforting feeling knowing you’ve got such a good resource so close."

The employee found in that restroom last year received the care he needed because it was nearby, capable and ready. EnerSys’ investment through Baptist Health Foundation Richmond helps ensure that same level of readiness remains in place for the next life that may depend on it.

From outpatient coronary CT angiograms to lifesaving heart catheterizations and interventions, donor support keeps Richmond at the forefront of heart care. A second Cath Lab is now undergoing full renovation, expanding both capacity and capability for patients who need timely treatment.

"Part of the reason we’d like to make these monthly donations is to make sure that if someone is in an emergency situation, Baptist Richmond can take care of their needs,” Micah said. "That’s going to be huge."

For a city strengthened by local investment and pride, that shift matters.

"It is a close community," Micah said. "Having Baptist Health is one of the biggest things that pulls us together."

EnerSys has long supported Richmond through school sponsorships and local initiatives. But this gift marks a broader investment in infrastructure that changes outcomes for generations to come.

“I’ve always asked what we could do, as a company and part of this community, that would be beneficial to the entire area,” Micah said. "I think this partnership with Baptist Health, with their mission and what they do, is an ideal fit because it touches so many people."

A company built on power systems understands the importance of readiness. Every battery assembled at EnerSys stores energy for impact. Through this new partnership with Baptist Health Foundation Richmond, they’re helping ensure that when the next emergency happens – whether at the plant or in a family home – advanced heart care is already in place, right down the road.

"It’s an honor to be a small part of something so much bigger," Jason said, "We’re proud to give back to this community."