June 11, 2020
Hi Team –
For nearly four months now, we’ve had to continually adapt and respond to new and previously unimaginable challenges, sacrifices, and uncertainties – both at home and at work – created by the COVID-19 global health pandemic. And adapt and respond we have!! As ONE Unified Team – TriHealth Strong – we’ve rallied together through this crisis, like never before in our recent history, doing whatever it takes to keep our community and each other safe and well cared for. And because of your extraordinary courage, hard work, and selflessness, we have been able to continue to deliver on our nearly 170-year sacred mission of improving the health of our community, while providing a compassionate care experience for every patient we serve, every step of the way!
There are no words to adequately express my gratitude and admiration for every single team member, physician, leader, and volunteer who have made this possible! YOU are absolutely remarkable in every way and there’s nothing more I would like at this time than to be able to say to you that we are through the worst of this crisis and are ready to celebrate a job well done. Unfortunately, as we’ve been discussing, we’re not there yet. Due to the devastating financial crisis created by this global pandemic, we must now address the new reality of a prolonged period of reduced demand for clinical services resulting in significant revenue shortfalls. To ensure TriHealth’s continued financial health and stability, it’s essential that we face this new reality head on – and face it now – to avoid an even worst crisis later. To do so, it is necessary for us to make structural, more permanent cost reductions that will impact every part of our system, which regrettably, includes our people – our most valuable resource.
Last week, I pledged, once again, to provide you with timely and transparent communications about this work, sharing the information we have, when we have it, rather than waiting until plans are finalized and we are ready to act. As a leadership team, we felt this was the right thing to do in order to help you feel fully informed and prepared for the challenging journey ahead – that’s what our team members deserve and how real teams operate! This week, we continue this commitment by sharing with you the latest information we have about how we are approaching this work and what you can expect from the process and when you can expect to hear it. As shared in this week’s Town Hall, we have not yet finalized the development of our “Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan,” which includes the decisions regarding necessary cost reductions and any impacted positions. We are working literally seven days a week to make these decisions in the right way for our system and for those who may be impacted either directly or indirectly. We now expect this work to be completed and fully communicated before the end of June. At that time, your leader will provide you with details about what these decisions will mean to you and your department. I recognize it can be difficult and frustrating to have to wait for answers to your specific questions, but I ask for, and appreciate, your patience as we take the time to get this important work right – for our people, for our patients, and for our community.
Our Decision-Making Process—Grounded in Mission, Guided by Values and Informed by Facts and Evidence.
While our need to close the large revenue shortfall created by COVID-19 is immediate and urgent, we are taking the necessary time to make the right decisions – decisions grounded in our mission, guided by our values of respect for people, equity and stewardship, and informed by facts and evidence. We are taking this deliberate approach in order to avoid any unintended adverse effect on the exceptional care and service we now deliver and to impact as few people as possible. Rebalancing our cost structure to the new reality of lower revenue (i.e., 90-95% of previous levels of clinical activity) involves evaluation of cost-saving opportunities in areas such as purchasing and supply chain, non-core programs, sponsorships, purchased services, and facilities consolidation – which is now possible due to the rapid adoption of telecommuting and telehealth. And while these decisions will, unfortunately, impact some positions, please know that all impacted team members will receive comprehensive transition support – ranging from an assigned career coach to retraining to salary continuation and more – all to proactively assist impacted team members to secure new job opportunities, preferably within TriHealth, or elsewhere, if that is not possible or desired. So while a small percentage of positions will need to be eliminated due to reduced post surge volume and activity, we will do everything in our power not to eliminate people! We’ll share full details about our comprehensive team member support plans in the coming weeks as our Post-COVID-19 Recovery Plan and associated cost-cutting decisions are finalized.
While the next few weeks will be challenging for us all, please know we will support each other through these turbulent times, and we can and WILL emerge TriHealth Strong – ready and able to lead the way in getting healthcare right for the next century and beyond. THANK YOU so much for all you do, and for your continued support and understanding as we proactively manage through these unprecedented and externally imposed threats!
Weekly Communications Calendar
- Monday, June 8 – Friday, June 12: M-W-F Dr. Joseph video updates available on Bridge
- Wednesday, June 10 @ 12pm: Team Member/Physician Town Hall — livestreamed and archived on Bridge
- Thursday, June 11: CEO Weekly Update
- Friday, June 12: Weekly COVID Update email
are you offering a package to those who is willing to retire sooner than normal?
Posted by: Teresa Harper on June 17, 2020
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Thank you for your clear and timely communication.
Posted by: Barbara Schwab on June 17, 2020
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