May 25, 2021
Hi Team –
This coming Monday we celebrate Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember all the women and men who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our nation in the military. At TriHealth, we are proud to take this opportunity to also extend gratitude to all of our own physicians and team members who have served or are currently serving our country, many of whom are members of our TriHealth Armed Forces Group and Supporters (TAGS), one of TriHealth’s seven Employee Resource Groups. And this Thursday, May 27th, I’m pleased to share that our TAGS group will lead us in a Memorial Day Service held at Hospice Blue Ash at 1:30pm. If you are able, I hope you will join us for what promises to be a moving tribute in honor of all those who have bravely served our country to protect and defend the freedoms we continue to enjoy today.
COVID Update
As shared last week, effective June 2, TriHealth will be evolving its mask-wearing requirements for fully vaccinated individuals based on the latest guidance from the CDC and Governor DeWine (click here to review our planned modifications). This is yet another encouraging step on our journey to end this pandemic and return to a more normal way of life. It is also a major proof point that the COVID vaccine is safe, it’s working, and it is the most effective way to put this pandemic behind us. As one of the region’s most trusted organizations, it’s essential we continue to take a measured approach to rolling back masking requirements, keeping the safety of all those we serve our number one priority at all times. So, as a reminder, until June 2, ALL vaccinated and non-vaccinated physicians, team members, patients, and visitors must continue to adhere to all current COVID precautions, including wearing masks at all times in ALL TriHealth facilities. After June 2, vaccinated individuals will not be required to wear masks in NON-PATIENT CARE AREAS, such as break rooms, cafeterias, and meeting rooms and offices. However, our current mask-wearing requirements in direct PATIENT CARE AREAS will remain unchanged and in effect for ALL individuals, even after the 2nd, until new CDC guidance is issued. Revised signage is being developed and will be placed in lobbies and public areas in early June to assist in notifying patients and visitors of this continued requirement.
19th LDI and Third Annual Safety Summit Takes Place Tomorrow for All TriHealth Leaders
On Wednesday, May 26th, our leaders will gather virtually for our next quarterly Leadership Development Institute (LDI), themed, “Adapting Great Behaviors, Achieving Great Results.” For the fourth time since the pandemic began, this LDI will again be held virtually as a one-day session. Thank you for your support of our leaders as they take this time to focus on improving themselves and further hardwiring the TriHealth Way, so they can be even better servant leaders to you and our patients! Look for a recap from your leaders following the LDI, and I’ll also share a video link of an abbreviated version of the LDI in my next Weekly Update.
I’m pleased to share that as part of this LDI, we’ll also be reinstituting our annual Patient Safety Summit, which was interrupted by COVID last May – and we’ll be kicking it off with a big win! We’ve just learned that our two flagship hospitals – Bethesda North and Good Samaritan – each achieved the highest “A” safety grade in the latest Leapfrog Survey administered during the height of the pandemic. And our system again achieved an impressive Zero major harm events for the month of April!! McCullough-Hyde Memorial and Bethesda Butler were awarded a “B” for this reporting period, narrowly missing an “A”. TriHealth Evendale is not evaluated, as it does not have enough publicly reported data. Congratulations to all of our hard-working physicians and team members at each of these hospitals whose extraordinary service and unwavering commitment to patient safety resulted in these top scores! Click here to learn more.
GME Recognizes and Celebrates Residency Excellence
Earlier this month, the Department of Graduate Medical Education (GME) held its third annual Residency Quality Safety Service Excellence Day to showcase and celebrate patient safety and quality improvement projects underway here at TriHealth as part of our teaching programs. This year, the following TriHealth residents were recognized with the Richard M. Smith Leadership in Patient Safety Award for their outstanding contributions:
- First-place and the Residents' Choice Award went to Dr. Hatem Elabd (Internal Medicine) for his project entitled “Hypertensive Home Noninvasive Ventilation Therapy Reduces Readmissions due to COPD Acute Exacerbation.”
- The second-place award went to Dr. Sumayya Muneer (Internal Medicine) for her project entitled “Evaluating the Inappropriate Use of IV Antihypertensive Agents in the Setting of Inpatient Hypertensive Urgency.”
- The third-place award went to Dr. Meredith Carrel (Obstetrics and Gynecology), for her project entitled “Universal Early Postpartum Depression Screening in the Inpatient Postpartum Unit: An Opportunity for Early Intervention.”
Click here to learn more.
A big thank you, once again, to all of our team members and physicians for all you do, every single day, to bring the safest, highest quality care and clinical outcomes to every patient we serve! These latest achievements are yet another proud proof point that we have the BEST healthcare team, anywhere!
Register Now! Health Equity Lunch & Learn on June 2
As a faith-based organization that carries on the legacy of founders, the German Methodist Deaconesses and Sisters of Charity, the TriHealth mission calls for us to care for all people with compassion and dignity and serve the health of the marginalized in our community. Which is why TriHealth’s PRISM Employee Resource Group is partnering with the Fenway Institute to host a lunch and learn presentation on Health Equity for the LGBTQ+ Community on Wednesday, June 2, at 12:15 p.m. Visit Bridge for more information and to register.
Race, Ethnicity and Language (REAL) Project Launched
Race, ethnicity and language (REAL) can contribute to an individual’s ability to receive safe, quality and equitable healthcare. To further TriHealth’s DEI initiatives, we have partnered with More Inclusive Healthcare to assist us in providing culturally responsive care by training and consulting on the practice and science of data collection and usage. Learn more about this initiative on Bridge.