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Hi Team – 

 

In the face of our now three-month battle to contain this fourth wave of COVID infections, the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter every day. Nationally, new COVID cases have dropped 12% in the last week, while COVID-related hospital admissions decreased by 10% in that same timeframe —encouraging indicators that our nation is trending in the right direction. Closer to home, we have seen our COVID hospitalizations at TriHealth drop from a high of 120 just a few weeks ago to 78 yesterday, with the overall positivity rate now below 10%. We remain confident in current trends and forecasting models that point to a continued downturn in local COVID transmission, hospitalizations, and deaths, soon bringing about an end to this fourth wave and ultimately the global COVID pandemic. 

 

Sadly, newly released research from the Kaiser Family Foundation reports that approximately 90,000 COVID-related deaths in the U.S. could have been avoided between June and September of this year if more adults had chosen to be vaccinated. And that same study identified COVID as the leading cause of death for adults ages 35 to 54 last month and the second leading cause of death for the entire population in September. If anything, this sobering report underscores the importance of our decision to put in place a COVID vaccine requirement —following the science to take every reasonable step possible to safely protect our patients and one another from unintentional viral transmission and harm. 

 

The October 31 vaccination deadline is less than two weeks away and we are moving closer with each passing day to reach our goal of a 100% vaccination rate across our system. As of Monday, nearly 95% of all team members and physicians have been vaccinated or have obtained an approved exemption or temporary deferment. Consider that we hovered below a 65% vaccination rate for our system in early August — now that is real progress in just a few short weeks! But our work is not yet done, and we remain committed to doing everything possible to create the safest care and work environment, and at the same time, to avoid losing even one TriHealth team member or physician over this requirement — now also a federal requirement for all healthcare workers across the country. So please, if you have not yet started your vaccination process, I urge you not to wait until the last moment as appointment slots are filling up quickly. You can easily and conveniently schedule your vaccine appointment by clicking this online scheduling link. 

 

Though it is now too late to start and complete the two-dose regimen for Pfizer or Moderna vaccines before October 31, we continue to offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for team members seeking the one-dose vaccine option. Team members who still want the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine can receive those vaccines but will not be fully vaccinated nor in compliance with the requirement by October 31. In these hopefully rare instances, team members will need to complete their full two-dose regimen while on Leave of Absence. They can return to their TriHealth position immediately upon Employee Health confirming they are fully vaccinated with the second mRNA vaccine dose any time before the end of the calendar year.

 

As a reminder, if you’ve received your vaccination outside of the TriHealth network, please submit your proof of vaccination to Employee Health as soon as possible so we can update our records. Simply click here to submit your vaccine records to ensure your compliance with this requirement so that your manager can include you on November work schedules. And to assist those needing to upload vaccine documentation or to schedule a vaccination appointment, our COVID Vaccine Help Desks will be set up this week and next week in the Good Samaritan Hospital (Wednesday, 11am-2pm) and Bethesda North Hospital (Tuesday, 11am-2pm) cafeterias. Be sure to stop by for assistance!

 

We want and need all of our team members and physicians to be available to help us to continue to serve our patients and each other. But time is running short now, and the only way to continue to be a part of this Great Team is by being fully vaccinated or to receive an exemption or deferment. As outlined in my previous Weekly Update, the relatively small number of team members who are not now vaccinated will not be included on work schedules for November unless fully vaccinated by October 31. Because the safety of our patients and team members remains our first and most important priority, these team members and physicians — and we hope the number will be ZERO — will instead be placed on unpaid leave. As such, they will not have access to PTO or unemployment benefits through the end of the calendar year or until they choose to get fully vaccinated.   

 

As I shared last week, TriHealth and the entire Cincinnati community lost a great and generous man with the passing of Harold Thomas on October 9. During my six years at TriHealth, I had the good fortune to spend time with Harold and his wife, Eugenia, who have long supported Bethesda North Hospital and TriHealth. As evidenced by his philanthropic giving, Harold shared TriHealth’s vision to Get Healthcare Right, supporting our work to deliver the right care at the right time in the right location at the right price. You need to look no further than the state-of-the-art Harold & Eugenia Thomas Comprehensive Care Center on the Bethesda North campus as one shining example of Harold’s commitment to serving our community. Thanks to the Thomas family’s $10 million donation, the Thomas Center today serves as a destination campus for multidisciplinary care, including cancer and cardiac services, supporting the total health and well-being of both patients and family members. More recently, Harold and Genie donated another $10 million to support the construction of the new TriHealth Heart Hospital on the Bethesda North campus - the culmination of TriHealth’s vision to develop the region’s destination cardiac program, which began three years ago when TriHealth brought its two cardiac surgery programs at Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda North Hospital together under one roof. In addition to TriHealth, the Thomas family has generously supported the Police and Fire Departments in Montgomery, Indian Hill, and Madeira and has also endowed scholarships at the University of Cincinnati and Ohio Wesleyan University. I was blessed to get to know Harold and remain deeply grateful for his extraordinary generosity, which was aimed at transforming healthcare and touching lives in very personal ways. Harold stood apart for his unassuming presence, humility, warmth and unwavering desire to make a difference in the lives of his neighbors and community. He will be greatly missed but never forgotten. 

 

If you’re able, be sure to join us this afternoon at 12pm for our monthly Town Hall, livestreamed on Bridge. We will spend time sharing important updates on COVID, our vaccine requirement and the campaign to achieve 100% vaccination across the system, and as always, we will answer your questions. And, once again, those who participate in the conversation will have the chance to win really cool TriHealth branded gear! Simply attend the Town Hall and submit your name during the meeting for the chance to win. Prize winners will be announced at the end of the Town Hall, so be sure to stick around!

 

I know that none of us could have ever imagined a scenario in which we would find ourselves still locked in battle with this deadly virus for nearly two years. The countless challenges, personal and professional hardships, undeniable stresses and lingering COVID fatigue have sadly been woven into the fabric of our lives and our daily work in serving our patients and community. So, in the face of this seemingly unending pandemic, it is understandable that some of us may have lost or questioned our inspiration or passion, or our own “why” for choosing a life of service and a career at TriHealth. As we emerge from this fourth wave and bring an end to this pandemic, I remain hopeful and even confident that each of us will rediscover our own “why” and our passion for serving others as part of TriHealth’s 170-year mission of service. I know for many of us, the roots of our own personal passion are firmly embedded in the TriHealth Way of Serving and Delivering Care. Your commitment to the TriHealth Way and our SERVE values has helped us manage through the turbulent tides of this pandemic while continuing to care for ALL of our patients — COVID and non-COVID alike — at their hour of greatest need. You have stepped up in so many ways — taking extra shifts, learning new roles, choosing to become vaccinated in the name of patient and team member safety — each and every day for more than 21 months to help fulfill our sacred promise to safely care for and serve our community. Brighter days are soon ahead, and we will emerge from this fourth and hopefully final COVID wave as an even stronger and more resilient health system thanks to your dedicated and selfless service to our patients and to each other.