November 24, 2020
Hi Team –
As we head into the Thanksgiving holiday this week, sadly, COVID continues to surge throughout Ohio and across the nation. As shared at last week’s Town Hall, TriHealth and other area health systems are working together to provide a fully coordinated, regional response to this third and most severe wave of COVID infections. To review the full Town Hall session and latest update on our COVID plans, click here or check out the highlights video by clicking here.
With more than 140 COVID patients now in our hospitals, TriHealth has begun to activate our internal surge plan by adding beds, load balancing (transferring patients within the system to available staffed beds), dramatically increasing staffing through new hiring and voluntary redeployment from non-clinical roles to the clinical setting, and much more! All of this is being done to ensure the right level of care and necessary clinical resources are available where needed as inpatient volume grows. A special thank you to the nearly two hundred TriHealth nurses and other staff who have already volunteered through our “Helping Hands Program” to assist at the bedside as we ready ourselves for a doubling or more of COVID cases in the coming weeks and months. And we are still recruiting additional volunteers, so don’t hesitate to contact the Team Member Resource Center if you are interested. You will be fully prepared and incentivized to serve at the bedside!
TriHealth joins 100 top U.S. hospitals in Mask Up public service campaign. Recognizing the critical importance of nationwide mask wearing to slow the rate of transmission in this third wave, TriHealth has joined with 100 of the nation’s leading healthcare systems, representing thousands of hospitals in communities across the U.S., to share an urgent plea with all Americans – Mask Up! Starting last week, the Mask Up public service messages began running in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers across the country. Additionally, hospitals and health systems are promoting the campaign messages in regional media. The public service effort will also include #MASKUP content on digital platforms, including our own social media pages, with links to online information and vital health resources. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.everymaskup.com.
Hope is on the horizon – stay strong! They say it’s darkest before the dawn, and the same is true for this pandemic. While I know it’s disheartening to head into the holidays amid the most severe surge in COVID cases yet, we can confidently say there is finally light at the end of this tunnel! Three very promising vaccines are moving to the FDA for emergency use approval shortly, and the first shipment of vaccines could come in December, with widespread distribution by spring of 2021! Front-line healthcare workers will be among the first to receive the vaccine, and TriHealth will be ready and waiting when those vaccines ship. We have purchased three large ultra-cold freezer units to store the vaccines at the required -70oc temperature. So please know, your hard work, perseverance, and dedication to continue to care for our community and help save lives during this time of dire need is not in vain! Because of YOU, better, brighter days are ahead and we could not be more grateful for your heroic service and sacrifices that are helping us fight this pandemic, which we will overcome together!
Wishing you and your family a Happy, Blessed and Safe Thanksgiving! While this Thanksgiving may look and feel a little different as we adjust our plans to ensure a safe holiday (click here to read TriHealth’s “Rethinking Thanksgiving” op-ed in last week’s Cincinnati Enquirer), what matters most remains the same – it will be filled with an abundance of love and gratitude! This extraordinary year of sacrifice and hardship has served as an important reminder that we can adapt to almost anything – because we have – as long as we’re surrounded by caring people who love and support us. And this year, more than ever, we are so grateful for the families and loved ones of our team members and physicians who are making heroic sacrifices on the home front to ensure our TriHealth Team is able to fulfill its sacred calling to care, to heal, and to serve our community during this prolonged period of historic need!
This holiday, I will be giving thanks for the honor and privilege to work alongside and be of service to you – our 14,000 team members, physicians, and volunteers – who bring our TriHealth mission to life each day! Your enduring capacity to go above and beyond to care for our patients, for each other, and for our community humbles and inspires me every day! My wish is that you and your family enjoy a very special holiday filled with great food, great football, much love, and some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Happy Thanksgiving!
Free Education Assistance, Coaching and Advisement
Just in time for the spring semester, TriHealth’s new Education Assistance partner, Bright Horizons EdAssist Solutions®, is offering TriHealth team members access to FREE coaching and advisement sessions to help you maximize the investment in your education. Visit Bridge for details.
Celebrating Diwali
Our Asian Indian physicians and team members recently celebrated Diwali, a festival of lights celebrating new beginnings and the triumph of light over darkness. We are so grateful for our physicians and team members who throughout this challenging year have been shining a light in the darkness each and every day for each other and the community. Learn more about Diwali on Bridge.
New TriHealth Marketing Campaigns
Be on the lookout for two new TriHealth marketing campaigns running this fall and winter. A West Side marketing campaign launching Nov. 30 will help drive awareness of TriHealth’s commitment to the West Side, noting the expansion of the Western Ridge campus. A Bethesda Butler marketing campaign is now active, highlighting the addition of robotic surgery and driving awareness of the hospital’s comprehensive services. Visit Bridge for full details.
Great communication!
Posted by: Lisa Hicks on November 30, 2020
Reply/View Reply
Thank you for the ongoing updates. They are extremely helpful.
Posted by: Jennifer Weaver on November 25, 2020
Reply/View Reply
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR KEEPING US INFORMED AND KEEPING US AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE . HAPPY THANKSGIVING
Posted by: Dawn Rupp on November 25, 2020
Reply/View Reply
Happy Thanksgiving. Definitely Thankful for my TriHealth family!
Posted by: Paula Thomas on November 25, 2020
Reply/View Reply