October 13, 2020
Hi Team –
We start this week with some discouraging news that the spread of COVID-19 continues to escalate throughout the state and across the nation. Last Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine called Ohio’s latest COVID numbers a “gut punch” as winter nears and spread of the virus worsens across the state. The governor announced that as of last week, 96% of Ohioans are now living in a red or an orange county, indicating a high rate of spread – with the highest number of red counties we have seen since July 23! Local health departments have confirmed, based on contact tracing, that this sobering trend is due largely to lax social distancing, not enough people wearing masks, and people not following quarantine and isolation guidance. In fact, it’s been determined that in half of the state’s new red counties, outbreaks – and sadly, new COVID-related deaths – have been linked to funerals, weddings and other large gatherings where COVID mitigation measures were not followed.
While these trends are concerning, they can still be reversed by strictly adhering to the PROVEN and SIMPLE mitigation measures – mask wearing, hand washing, social distancing, avoiding large gatherings, and staying home when sick!! Now more than ever, with flu season right around the corner, it’s absolutely essential to practice these COVID ALWAYS Behaviors, which now also include getting your flu shot! These simple measures will keep us safe and keep us open! If you haven’t done so already, please plan to get your flu shot soon, and encourage your loved ones to do the same – at a TriHealth Primary Care Practice, a TriHealth Priority Care location, or one of our seven TriHealth Clinic at Walgreens locations. Click here to find the TriHealth flu clinic nearest you.
Join our next Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Town Hall on October 20! As we continue to battle COVID, we also remain firmly committed to fighting another terrible disease – systemic racism. To do so here at TriHealth, we continue to accelerate our DEI work – both within our workplace and throughout the community – and are excited to share our latest progress at our upcoming DEI Town Hall, which takes place next Tuesday, October 20 at 12pm – livestreamed on Bridge and Facebook. This special DEI Town Hall closes out our Hispanic Heritage month celebration and will feature a panel of Hispanic leaders, physicians, and community members sharing their experiences and stories. Panelists include myself, Marla Silliman, Dr. Rosa Robles, Dr. Angel Mena, Dr. Betsy Peerless, and Grace Casellas, RN. In addition to celebrating Hispanic Heritage, we’ll also be discussing our FY2021 Diversity and inclusion initiatives, including our expanded DEI learning and development efforts, as well as our system goals aimed at increasing diversity in both leadership and our larger workforce and provider community. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.
TriHealth’s DEI Work Held Up as a Local and National Model. TriHealth is increasingly being sought out to tell our DEI story as a best-in-class example of how to address the health, economic, and social disparities born from systemic racism. In late September, TriHealth participated in the Cincinnati Business Courier’s second of three virtual panel discussions in its Road to Recovery series to talk about our DEI work and share key learnings. Click here for excerpts from that discussion. On the national stage, Modern Healthcare Magazine – the largest and most respected healthcare industry publication – has invited TriHealth to participate in its October 19th panel discussion titled, A Conversation: How Racial Equity in Healthcare Starts in the C-Suite (and Boardroom). The conversation will center around the strategic imperatives for investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion as a key driver for achieving the Triple Aim – better care, better health, and better value. We’ll share excerpts from the discussion later this month. Modern Healthcare also asked TriHealth to write a column for its Breaking Bias opinion/editorial series, which I’ll share the link to when it publishes later this month. We’re proud of our team’s outstanding efforts to help lead the way in healthcare workplace DEI, and are energized and excited to keep pushing this important values based work forward to make TriHealth a great place for ALL to work, to practice, and to receive the best care possible!
TriHealth Takes Center Stage at Modern Healthcare Virtual Conference. I hope you were able to tune in last Thursday for the livestream viewing of Modern Healthcare's “Annual Workplace of the Future" national conference. More than 65 TriHealth team members and groups participated in department viewing “parties” across the system, like the one shown here. We joined hundreds of industry colleagues who also participated from across the country and around the world. As I shared last week, TriHealth was selected to deliver the keynote address and tell the story of our continuing journey to build a strong, adaptive, and patient-centered system culture – and how this work prepared us to more successfully respond to the unprecedented challenges of 2020. Click here to view a shorter 6-minute version of highlights, which proudly showcase our remarkable TriHealth Team – the unstoppable force behind the success of our TriHealth Way!
Ride with Me and Other Team Members at the CycleNation Fundraiser on October 28 in support of the American Heart Association! I can’t think of a better way to beat the COVID blues than to safely gather in-person wearing RED to have some fun, get some exercise, and support a great cause – the American Heart Association (AHA)! I’d love for you to join me on Wednesday, October 28 at 5:30pm at the Pavilion for the CycleNation Party – a 90-minute fundraising spin class and celebration to benefit the AHA. The class will be led by a number of our Pavilion instructors and trainers on the basketball court to allow for full social distancing of up to 60 participants over the 90-minute event – the first in-person event we've held since the pandemic began! Team members, patients, and Pavilion members are invited to register to ride with me – click here to sign up. Participants can reserve a bike for 30, 60, or 90-minute class segments, and can stay for as little or as long as they like. Healthy snacks and water will be provided, and donations can be made to AHA at the event. All participants will also be entered into a raffle to win cool prizes. If you can’t make the event, you can also drop by the Pavilion any time between Mon., Oct. 26 through Wed., Oct. 28 to ride on your own and log your miles toward our team goal – look for the CycleNation bikes decorated with the red balloons on the Pavilion fitness floor. Members/patients can log their distance at the fitness desk and will also be entered into the raffle.
Thank you for all you are doing to keep each other and our community safe and well cared for as we continue to combat and co-exist with COVID. Your efforts and achievements are helping to set the standard in our industry for how to get healthcare right!
Benefits Open Enrollment is Coming Soon
Benefits Open Enrollment is just around the corner. Visit HRCentral today for information on TriHealth’s benefits starting on Jan. 1, 2021 (Bridge > HRCentral >Benefits). Don’t forget to check Bridge for the recorded Benefit Forums and socially-distanced Computer Labs schedules. If you do not enroll in benefits during Open Enrollment from Oct. 26 – Nov. 6, you will not have insurance coverage beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Spotlight on Dr. Rosa Robles
Born and raised in Spain, Dr. Rosa Robles, Internal Medicine physician with TriHealth Physician Partners, discusses her rich Hispanic heritage and how she shares her culture with her patients. Visit Bridge for more information on Dr. Robles as we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15).
Instructions for One Campaign Giving
Thank you to our team members who have already generously given to the One Campaign. If you’re considering supporting the One Campaign, click here for step-by-step instructions on how to donate to these initiatives, including our foundations, the United Way and ArtsWave.
Corporate Policy Update
All TriHealth team members are required to review and understand all Corporate Policy revisions. Click here to access a summary of Corporate Policy Updates. To view full policies, please access TIPS from the Bridge homepage. If you maintain an aqua TriHealth Corporate Policy binder please discard the previous version of these policies, print the current version of policies from TIPS and insert them in the binder.
Everyone should Always follow procedures, safety measures at all times. We should set an example to patients and fellow workers.
Posted by: Connie Messing on November 03, 2020
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Thank you for sharing the great information. Sad to hear COVID cases are going
Posted by: Jerome Neuhaus on October 14, 2020
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