Hi Team –

 

Well, thanks to FC Cincinnati, the holidays aren’t the only thing we’re celebrating this month! Last Saturday night, FC Cincinnati played in the MLS conference finals for the first time ever and while, unfortunately, they didn’t take home the win against the Columbus Crew, they sure gave us A LOT to cheer about this year! A BIG congratulations to the team on their historic season and best wishes for continued success in the years ahead! Go FC Cincinnati!!

 

And while the Bengals’ season hasn’t gone the way we hoped it would this year, every game gives us another chance to cheer them on for a win! And that’s exactly what these eight lucky TriHealth team members and their guests will be doing this Sunday in the TriHealth suite at Paycor Stadium, as the Bengals take on the Indianapolis Colts:

 

Congratulations to our winners who were randomly selected – just one more way, among many others, that we are showing our gratitude and appreciation to the very best healthcare team anywhere! And if you were not selected, we look forward to sharing with you and every team member two complimentary tickets to a Reds game at Great American Ball Park this coming season!!!

 

Social determinants of health (SDOH), like food insecurity or lack of transportation, which are often driven by economic instability, are major causes of health disparities in our region and across our nation. So, as part of our bold vision to Get Healthcare Right and deliver equitable care to all, TriHealth is proactively addressing SDOH in many ways, including through community partnerships.

 

Last week, I was joined by Rev. Frank Nation and a number of Good Samaritan team members and physicians for a blessing and ceremonial ribbon cutting to open our two newest free food pantries — our fifth and sixth – this time, both on the Good Sam campus!

 

In collaboration with the Freestore Foodbank, we officially opened the fifth new food pantry at the Good Samaritan OBGYN Center, where I joined Kelvin Hanger, Good Samaritan Hospital President in the ribbon cutting (see pic to right). Similar to the food pantry at the Bethesda North OB Center, this pantry will serve moms and babies who receive care at the Good Sam OB Center, as well as other family members at home.

 

And just an hour later, Judy Kronenberger, President of the Good Samaritan College of Nursing & Health Sciences (GSC) helped to cut the ribbon for our sixth new free food pantry located at GSC, also at Good Samaritan Hospital (see pic below right). This is our first food pantry aimed at supporting our current GSC students – and likely future TriHealth team members. By addressing real and growing food insecurity with our student population, we can help them to thrive as they study, practice, and develop on their way to a career in healthcare….  and most will do that right here at TriHealth!

 

With these most recent openings, TriHealth now offers six self-service free food pantries across our system. Each provides the opportunity for our patients, and now GSC students, in need to shop for shelf-stable, refrigerated and frozen food staples for themselves and their families – at no cost and as often as needed. Since opening our first free food pantry in September 2022, TriHealth has provided more than 120,000 pounds of food to our patients and their families – and food really is the new medicine! As an added benefit, patient no-show rates at our established food pantry locations have decreased dramatically. This is because patients are keeping their appointments, receiving the care they need, and at the same time, visiting the pantry. And this results in better care and better health…which is what Getting Healthcare Right is all about!

 

And speaking of great news at Good Samaritan College of Nursing & Health Sciences (GSC), I am excited to share that following a thorough search and interview process, our very own, Dr. Sherri Joyce – an alumnus of GSC – has been selected to serve as the Dean of Nursing for GSC!!

 

For the past four months, Dr. Joyce has served as the Interim Dean of Nursing and has already made a huge impact. Under her leadership, GSC enrollment increased by nearly 50% this fall, and Dr. Joyce led staffing initiatives to ensure that ideal student-to-faculty ratios were maintained, even as we have grown our student enrollment! Additionally, she led the complex re-submission process for the licensed practical nursing program with the Ohio Board of Nursing. Prior to serving in the interim dean role, Dr. Joyce served as Director of Nursing for Medical Surgical Units at Good Samaritan Hospital and as Nurse Manager at TriHealth Evendale Hospital.

 

This is yet another shining example of the quality and caliber of our own TriHealth team – and the outcome of our investment to develop talent and promote from within...The TriHealth Way! Please join me in congratulating Dr. Joyce on her well-deserved appointment and in wishing her the very best in this important new role! Click here to read the full announcement.

 

This morning, U.S. News and World Report released its 2024 Best Hospitals for Maternity list, and I’m pleased to share that Bethesda North Hospital and McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital both made the list, earning the top “High Performing” rating!!

 

Both hospitals performed significantly better than the industry on a combination of eight quality measures. Fewer than half of the nearly 700 hospitals who participated in this survey were recognized with this rating – another shining indicator that TriHealth is leading the way – regionally and nationally – in Getting Healthcare Right!!

 

Congratulations to ALL of our TriHealth physicians and team members supporting maternity care at Bethesda North, McCullough-Hyde, and throughout our entire system for your incredible talents and hard work that resulted in this outstanding achievement!

 

Please make plans to join us next week – Tuesday, December 12 at noon on Bridge for our final Team Member Town Hall livestream of CY2023! We’ll share important updates on our work to Get Healthcare Right, celebrate wins, and answer your questions – with some cool TriHealth prizes for those who join the conversation! And we want to hear from you! Email your questions to TownHall@trihealth.com and we’ll be sure to include them in our discussion.

 

As I’ve rounded across our system over the past few weeks, one thing is clear…the holiday spirit is in the air at TriHealth! From tree lighting ceremonies to train displays to caroling and visits from Santa, it has been fun and inspiring to see our team members, physicians, patients, and community come together to transform our campuses into winter wonderlands! Click here to see more of the many festive holiday displays “decking the halls” of our TriHealth facilities across the region!

 

And Happy Hanukkah to everyone observing the Jewish faith’s sacred eight-day winter celebration, which will begin at sundown this Thursday, December 7, and continue through next Friday, December 15.

 

It truly is the “most wonderful time of the year” – made even more wonderful here at TriHealth because of you, our incredible team members and physicians! Thank you for continually going above and beyond every day of the year to lift the spirits of all those we serve, while ALWAYS providing the very best, “surprisingly human” care possible by seeing, hearing and healing those we are privileged to serve!!