Hi Team –

 

It’s certainly an exciting time to be a sports fan in Cincinnati! FC Cincinnati clinched a spot in the MLS playoffs, which start in late October. The Reds are still in playoff contention in the final month of the season. And our Bengals kicked off the NFL season last Sunday, and while it wasn’t the performance we hoped for, we’ve still got lots of games ahead to cheer them on to another winning season. And if that weren’t enough, the second annual LPGA Queen City Championship completed its final round, and Minjee Lee took home the trophy!

 

Best of all, as the official healthcare provider of this LPGA tournament, TriHealth hit a “hole-in-one”! Our world-class event medicine services treated hundreds of players, caddies, and spectators, and together with the LPGA, we showcased exceptional women in leadership – including many of our own TriHealth women leaders – throughout the week. This sponsorship also provided an innovative and highly effective way for TriHealth to “tell our story” to a diverse and growing consumer audience. Throughout the tournament, we reached thousands of spectators and participants, allowing them to “see and hear” first-hand how we are providing “surprisingly human care” that is driving exceptional health outcomes for every patient, always – and setting the standard in our industry for how to Get Healthcare Right! A BIG THANK YOU to all of our TriHealth clinicians and team members whose talents and hard work – both at the event and behind the scenes – made this sponsorship such an overwhelming success!!

 

As you know, over the past several months, we have been ramping up TriHealth’s formal efforts to lead the way in eliminating health disparities to achieve health equity. Health equity is the state in which every member of our community has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health regardless of race, ethnicity, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or socioeconomic status. And it is at the core of how TriHealth ensures we are providing every patient we serve with convenient and timely access to the right and best care in the right place delivered in the right way at the right cost to achieve the right clinical outcomes. And doing this is, ultimately, how we lead the way in Getting Healthcare Right by delivering on the Triple Aim of better care, better health, and better value for every patient, always! 

 

In recent months, we have moved quickly to: 1) define our health equity purpose and mission; 2) launch the Center for Health Equity led by Dr. Thomas Shockley, Jr.; 3) put dedicated health equity resources in place; 4) and establish health equity priorities, target populations, workstreams, and key performance measures. Now, it’s time to share our story with the broader community and begin to engage with our regional stakeholders in this vital and collaborative work.

 

To launch this effort, TriHealth will take over the airwaves this Saturday, September 16 at 12:30pm on Local12 with a special 30-minute program dedicated to health equity. Hosted by Local12 health reporter, Liz Bonis, the special will feature TriHealth physicians, leaders and patients, alongside key stakeholders from across Greater Cincinnati, to discuss the imperative and related initiatives for achieving health equity across the region and nation.

 

Dr. Thomas Shockley, Jr., TriHealth Chief Health Equity Officer, will serve as a featured roundtable panelist, speaking to how the TriHealth Center for Health Equity will advance efforts to eradicate health disparities, both at TriHealth and throughout our community – all to fulfill our mission of improving the health and quality of life of all those we serve.

 

Viewers will hear from TriHealth patients on their experiences, as well as how TriHealth is leading the way in making healthcare more accessible, inclusive, and equitable through our population health efforts. Be sure to tune in on Saturday – and in case you miss it, I’ll share a link to the program in my next Weekly Update!

 

As a faith-based, mission-driven organization, TriHealth’s team members and physicians are called to carry on the 170-year legacy of our founders – the Sisters of Charity and the German Methodist Deaconesses – and their ministry of healing and selfless service to others, especially the poor and underserved.

 

To ensure we are fulfilling our ministry of service as we care for every member of our community, over the past five months, TriHealth has collaborated with the Catholic Health Association (CHA) to conduct a Ministry Identity Assessment, which wrapped up last week. The CHA’s Ministry Identity Assessment evaluates how our delivery of healthcare aligns with our faith-based identity and ministry grounded in our mission, vision and values.

 

Following a series of 20 internal meetings and critical conversations over the past five months, two external reviewers from CHA spent two days at the Sisters of Charity’s Motherhouse last week reviewing hundreds of data sets and examples of our ministry in action. And while not surprised, I’m pleased to share that this assessment overwhelmingly affirmed that Good Samaritan and TriHealth are indeed bringing our faith-based mission to life in real and meaningful ways for all those we serve!! 

 

The reviewers were impressed with our commitment to care for our community’s most vulnerable and economically disadvantaged populations through the Good Samaritan Free Health Center and the Good Samaritan Faculty Medical Center. They were also highly encouraged by our proactive plans to address social determinants of health and healthcare disparities through our new TriHealth Center for Health Equity, as well as our Community Health Assessment. And, the assessors commended TriHealth for our strong commitment to caring for the whole person, as evidenced by our wellbeing initiatives, our Team Member Resource Center, the TriHealth Way of Serving, and how we are telling AND bringing to life our story of delivering “surprisingly human care” through our new brand promise.

 

A special thank you to Rev. Frank Nation, TriHealth VP of Mission and Culture; TriHealth Trustee, Sr. Sally Duffy; Good Sam President and COO, Kelvin Hanger; and more than 40 team members, leaders, and physicians who participated in this important Ministry Identity Assessment – all to ensure we live out our mission every day, with every patient we serve, always!

 

Every day, our TriHealth team members and physicians provide exceptional, and oftentimes, life-saving care to those we serve while “on the job.” However, it’s not every day our team members are called into action in their personal lives to help save a life. However, this was exactly the case recently when Amy Kimble, RN, Care Coordinator at TriHealth’s Blood and Cancer Institute, “answered the call” to provide emergency medical care to a fellow fitness center patron in distress.

 

I had the pleasure of seeing Amy and learning about her heroic story during our Team Member Celebration at Kings Island (see our selfie to the right). Amy’s story is such an inspiring example of how our  team members live out the TriHealth Way of Serving and Delivering Care that I wanted to share it with you!

 

A nurse for more than 30 years (19 at TriHealth), Amy was taking a cycling class when another fitness center patron asked her to help assist someone experiencing a medical issue. Amy’s clinical training immediately kicked in as she administered AED support and CPR to the individual who was suffering from cardiac arrest. Thanks to Amy’s heroic efforts, the person was stabilized and taken to Bethesda North Hospital for further assessment and treatment. And it is not an exaggeration to say that this person is alive today because of Amy and the immediate actions she took to resuscitate the individual! You can read about Amy’s life-saving actions here on Bridge.

 

Amy’s story is just one example of MANY in which our team members and physicians bring our TriHealth mission to life – both here at TriHealth and in their personal lives. Thank you, Amy, for Living our Values and demonstrating what it means to Get Healthcare Right!!

 

Thanks to so many TriHealth “early birds,” our One Campaign is off to a terrific start! We’ve seen very encouraging participation from our team members and physicians through this “early bird” phase of the campaign! And the “real fun” hasn’t even started yet, with lots of entertaining local events and activities, prizes, and raffles in store over the coming weeks!!

 

Don’t Forget! All those who donate online – in any amount – through Friday, September 15 are entered into our “Early Bird” raffle. Winners are selected each week to win a really cool prize. In fact, our first two “early bird” winners – Ellen Sexton, Medical Biller at TriHealth Norwood and Dr. Mounira Habli, Maternal-Fetal Medicine physician – were randomly selected to receive Reds tickets and on-field access for Reds’ batting practice – and that’s not all! As our One Campaign chairs, Chad Boyd and Ryan Hornberger, announced in this week’s video, one lucky “early bird” will win a $1,000 cash prize! So be sure to donate by this Friday, September 15 to have a chance at this week’s awesome “early bird” giveaway!

 

Donating is Easy! To positively impact the lives of our team members and the community we serve through the One Campaign, simply visit trihealth.com/one or scan the QR code to the right. 

 

Please make plans to join us next Wednesday, September 20 at noon on Bridge for our September Team Member Town Hall livestream. As always, 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 don’t forget…we want to hear from you! Simply email your questions to TownHall@trihealth.com and we’ll be sure to add them to our discussion.

 

Together, we continue to lead the way in Getting Healthcare Right by choosing to be our best and to bring out the best in each other and all that we do, each and every day!! Thank you for helping us bring our TriHealth story of “surprisingly human care” to life through your actions and in such powerful ways for those we serve!