Hi Team –

 

First, a BIG Thank You to all of our frontline caregivers and support teams who braved the cold, snow and icy roads – or who selflessly chose to spend the night at one of our hospitals – all to ensure that our patients continued to receive the highest quality and safest care even during a “blizzard”!!!

 

After 33 long years, we can finally say, “It’s Super Bowl Week in Cincinnati!” The countdown to kickoff is officially on, and at TriHealth we have BIG plans to commemorate this momentous occasion – and to celebrate our amazing team members, physicians and volunteers – throughout this entire week. 

 

The football fun begins NOW with an exclusive TriHealth team member opportunity to attend the Super Bowl this Sunday!!! Our “TriHealth Who Dey to LA” contest will send four lucky employed team members to Los Angeles this coming weekend for an all-expenses-paid trip to watch the Bengals take on the LA Rams live and in person! Participating in this contest is easy – simply visit The TriHealth Way Facebook page (click here) and comment on today’s post with a photo of you showing your Bengals spirit. If you are not active on social media,  you can still participate by emailing marketing_communications@trihealth.com and be sure to send a Bengals pride photo to enter the contest. Act fast as this contest will close at 9 am tomorrow, February 8, so we can select the lucky winners and finalize travel arrangements for the game, just a few days away. So, be sure to check in on Bridge and Facebook at 4 pm tomorrow when I will be joined by a special guest in announcing the names of our four randomly selected grand prize winners! 

 

Of course, this week is about much more than just a Super Bowl party. This week we celebrate two extraordinary organizations – TriHealth and the Cincinnati Bengals – who have faced and overcome the adversities of the past two years to rise to the top of their respective fields. Two years ago, the Bengals had bottomed out, finishing with the league’s worst record. But by staying true to their vision, believing in one another and never giving up, the team turned it around like never before! Similarly, here at TriHealth, over the past two years, we have all shared a lifetime of hardships and heart-wrenching experiences brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. But through the pandemic’s many unpredictable twists and turns, we too have come together like never before as One Team, TriHealth Strong. And, in doing so, our sacred work has been guided by our vision to Get Healthcare Right – better care, better health, better value – even in the midst of a global pandemic as we continued to serve every single patient who has turned to us at their time of greatest need. So, this week, as we revel in the electric atmosphere spurred by the Bengals, we celebrate two phenomenally talented teams whose hard work, resilience and commitment to one another have renewed our shared sense of hope and optimism for all of Cincinnati. 

 

Speaking of hope, we remain encouraged and cautiously optimistic that we have seen the worst of this Omicron-fueled surge. As indicated in the COVID sidebar, the region’s positivity rate continues to fall, and the R-factor has remained well below 1.0 for weeks. And TriHealth’s COVID inpatient census has stabilized – now between 170 and 180 patients in our hospitals at a given time – still high but manageable thanks to our amazing frontline caregivers and support staff. 

 

We have a full slate of Super Bowl festivities lined up for this week including contests, trivia, prizes, fun giveaways and pep rallies! To help “show our stripes” in support of the Bengals, team members are invited to sport Bengals apparel throughout the week (following your local leader’s approval and ensuring safety and dress code standards are maintained). Check Bridge daily for all the details. And no Super Bowl party is complete without great food. So, we are teaming up with another Cincinnati favorite, LaRosa’s, to offer a free pizza to EVERY TriHealth team member, physician and volunteer. This is our way of saying thanks to the very best healthcare team anywhere as we all celebrate this historic Bengals’ season! Be on the lookout tomorrow for an email from LaRosa’s with instructions on how to get your free pizza.  

 

In spite of last week’s dose of winter weather, the Bengals’ amazing season coupled with declining COVID cases are real evidence that better, brighter days are ahead for all of us! So, check out this video link to hear from some of our leaders and team members – and biggest Bengals’ fans – as we officially kick off TriHealth’s Bengals Spirit Week.  

 

Go Bengals… and Go TriHealth!