Hi Team –

 

It deeply saddens me to have to begin this Weekly Update as our country, once again, mourns another unspeakable and senseless act of deadly violence. This time, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, where 19 innocent children and two teachers were taken from us in yet another horrific mass shooting. To say our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families hardly seems adequate to express our collective grief, outrage, and heartbreak. These devastating and repeated acts of unprovoked violence affect us all very personally, not just as fellow human beings, but as mothers and fathers, grandparents, brothers, sisters, neighbors, aunts and uncles. It’s hard to imagine we live in a country where these kinds of events have become so common, and sadly are becoming normalized. But they are not normal and we must never allow them to be! While we all need time to process our feelings and pray for those affected by this tragedy, we must also stand up and condemn these horrifying crimes. And at TriHealth, a faith-based health system with a 170-year mission of improving the health and well-being of our community and every individual we serve, we too have a responsibility, together with other hospitals and health systems, to speak out against this growing threat to our nation’s public health and safety. In 2016, the American Medical Association declared gun violence a public health crisis, and tragically, more than five years later, this crisis continues largely unaddressed. This point was made loud and clear in this recent article in Becker’s Hospital Review, a national healthcare publication, which I urge all of you to read. 

 

While there are a multitude of causes that factor into these increasingly common tragedies, it’s widely recognized that untreated mental health issues often play a central role. So, as we think about how we can impact this national crisis here at TriHealth, it’s clear that one vital step we can take is to continue our efforts to invest in, and support, the expansion and availability of high-quality, accessible Behavioral Health services. I talked about the unprecedented investments we are making here at TriHealth to fix our nation’s broken mental health system for our patients in my April 26 Weekly Update, and you’ll hear more about the impressive progress being made to expand access in the coming weeks and months.

 

I also want to remind you that our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is available to you and your family 24/7, as a part of our Team Member Total Rewards Program free of charge. TriHealth EAP offers confidential counseling provided by a team of licensed mental health counselors, social workers, psychiatrists, and psychologists, as well as many other wellness services. Call 513-891-1627 or visit TriHealth EAP online to access this essential service.

 

 

I’m pleased to share that the TriHealth Board of Directors approved Phase II of our multi-year Good Samaritan Hospital Campus Master Facility and Modernization Plan (MFP). This major milestone allows us to move forward with our bold plans to build a brand-new, five-story outpatient facility on the campus of Good Sam Hospital – representing another giant step forward on our journey to bring our patients the right care in the right place… which is increasingly in an easily accessible outpatient setting close to home. 

 

As I’ve shared, the Good Sam MFP addresses the need for newer and larger operating rooms, with enhanced support functions, such as patient prep and recovery, family waiting, and improved wayfinding. These modern facilities will provide convenient “one-stop” access to our full range of nationally recognized Good Sam services, including neurosciences, cancer, women’s health and advanced surgery, just as the Thomas Center is doing on the Bethesda North Campus. The MFP will also reorient the main entrance and primary access to the Good Sam Campus from Clifton Avenue to Dixmyth/MLK, with convenient access to I-75. 

 

Phase I of the project started last spring with demolition of the Hebrew Union Dormitory to make room for a new team member parking garage. Construction on the garage will begin later this summer and is expected to be completed in 2023. Phase II includes construction of the new outpatient building, which will begin in the winter of 2023 and be completed in 24 months. The building will house all perioperative functions, as well as several floors for subsequent relocation of the Emergency Department and other outpatient services. Once finished, patients will have easy access to best-in-class TriHealth outpatient services in a single location to support their family’s full range of health needs. This means no more having to travel through multiple buildings and floors on the Good Sam campus to access outpatient care. A BIG shout out to the Good Samaritan Region’s Kelvin Hanger, Hospital President and COO; Marla Silliman, Regional SVP; Clint Hutson, MD, Associate Chief Medical Officer, our physician leaders, and all others who are bringing this comprehensive plan to life so we can get healthcare right for the Good Sam Region’s growing patient population and community!! 

 

Speaking of getting healthcare right at Good Sam, I had the pleasure of joining a sold-out crowd at the Good Samaritans’ 37th Annual Gala on May 21. The event raised a record-breaking $618,000, with proceeds benefiting the Cellular Therapy program at Good Sam (part of our TriHealth Cancer Institute), along with annual support to the Medical Education Research Fund and the Good Samaritan Free Health Center! The Good Sam Gala has raised over $10 million in recent years in support of our clinical service lines, research, education, and community outreach. A special thanks to Mary Rafferty, President and CEO, Good Samaritan Foundation, and the entire Foundation Board and staff for this tremendous accomplishment on behalf of Good Sam and our entire community! Visit Bridge for more coverage of the Gala.

 

This month, Newsweek magazine released its 2022 List of the Best Maternity Hospitals in the U.S., and both Good Samaritan and Bethesda North hospitals made this exclusive list! Only 161 hospitals nationally – and just a handful in Ohio – achieved the “five ribbon” ranking, which is the highest ranking possible. Newsweek's ratings are based on three objective criteria: a national survey of hospital leaders and maternity healthcare professionals; clinical performance data related to maternity care; and patient experience or satisfaction. Congratulations to all of our physicians and team members supporting maternity care at Bethesda North and Good Sam who made this achievement possible – Way to Go Team!!!

 

Another BIG win this month was the grand opening celebration of TriHealth/Beacon Orthopaedics at the Cincinnati Sports Club (CSC). TriHealth and Beacon began delivering service at CSC in January 2020, but the actual grand opening was delayed until this month due to COVID restrictions. On June 2, TriHealth services will expand with the official opening of a new primary care practice on the club’s 2nd floor. Staffed by Certified Nurse Practitioner Beth Tonyan (pictured with me on the right), the practice will see patients ages 12 and older on Mondays and Thursdays from 8 am– 4:30 pm. The new primary care practice will complement our existing TriHealth/Beacon presence in the club, providing orthopedics, sports medicine and physical therapy, and is another innovative example of how we are leading the way to get healthcare right!! 

 

We continue to see a modest uptick of COVID cases in the community and here at TriHealth (see COVID graphic) due, in part, to the latest BA.4 and BA.5 variants. And while we are also seeing a small rise in COVID cases among team members and physicians, hospitalizations and severity of illness remain low.

 

Throughout the two-year COVID pandemic, we were committed to, not only supporting our team members, physicians, and patients across our system, but also providing essential guidance and assistance related to safety practices, testing, and vaccine administration for the business and civic community, including the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO). As a BIG thank you to the entire TriHealth team for this partnership over the past two years, the CSO has made TriHealth team members an exclusive offer of significantly discounted $5 tickets to attend the “Red, White and BOOM” 4th of July CSO Pops Concert at Riverbend Music Center. Visit Bridge for full details or click here to purchase tickets using the promo code: TRIHEALTH. What a fun and festive way to celebrate our nation’s independence and your outstanding contributions to our community!! I’m hoping to attend and look forward to seeing you there.

 

It’s shaping up to be a terrific summer here at TriHealth, filled with lots of opportunities to accelerate our important work to get healthcare right, while having some long-overdue fun and celebration of all we’ve accomplished together as One Team, TRIHEALTH STRONG! Thank you, as always, for all you do to make TriHealth GREAT!