| June 30, 2020 Edition 48 |
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The sentiments recently expressed by Porter Place caregivers in a published photo essay echo the priorities demonstrated by our Ambulatory Services team every day.
Your continued dedication to Ambulatory Services and Centura Health during the COVID-19 pandemic is appreciated!
The Ambulatory Services team is excited to announce the opening of a new urgent care location! This is the first opening that is in alignment with the Colorado Springs 2025 market plan that focuses on growing a first-touch platform through urgent care centers focused on patient experience.
The William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center has just opened for their first patient day. As part of a joint project with University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Ambulatory Services will provide physical therapy and imaging services through Colorado Sport & Spine and PENRAD.
Shauna Gulley, MD, Senior Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer, recently participated in a press conference with CMOs from other health systems to discuss the unique collaboration they have maintained during the pandemic. Click below to view the recording and background information.
Be sure you are prepared for the July 12 upgrade and learn more about the exciting changes ahead.
View opportunities to engage in discussions that can assist you in your professional and personal lives, both during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on Ambulatory Services, and it is important to look back at the March – May results to provide a clearer picture of the wide-reaching effects as well as an opportunity to reflect on all the obstacles we’ve overcome.
Ambulatory Services volumes have been impacted with the mandatory closures of many outpatient and elective clinics. At the peak of the pandemic and stay-at-home executive orders, Ambulatory was down to 43% of our pre-COVID volumes operationally. Over the last month, however, we are still not at 100% of our pre-COVID volumes and are averaging around 85%. This took a toll on our net revenue, which was down approximately $20 million for March – May.
Six of our Ambulatory sites have been temporarily closed since March, and we have delayed three openings of new sites across our system. Additionally, some of our service lines continue to reduce their hours of operations to match the demand in market. In order to make the best use of our space and staff, Ambulatory Services has taken lead on COVID-19 testing across our system, which has allowed us to use some of our displaced staff and services.
We know COVID-19 continues and this is a marathon, not a sprint, but if we have learned anything in the last four months, it is that the Ambulatory Services department is stronger together as one team! We thank you for your continued dedication to providing the safest care to our patients during this difficult time. It is because of the commitment that each of you hold to providing this exceptional level of care, and working together during our ups and downs, that we have been able to successfully navigate the obstacles that COVID-19 introduced and feel confident that we can continue to do so. Your stories are inspiring and make us grateful for your passionate service to our mission.
Three of our caregivers from Porter Place Retirement Community in Denver, who were recently included in a photo essay published by The Colorado Sun, reflected the dedication and compassion of our entire Ambulatory Services team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shalom Shinkut, Kenya Miranda and Alyson DeChristefero were selected to appear in a series of vignettes highlighting the faces and thoughts of essential workers throughout the area. Their responses to the question of what has motivated them to go to work during COVID-19 include:
“Because I love my job -- and I’m so happy I’m healthy -- to help other people. No one is (allowed) to come visit their family, so they really need to see people. I’m happy to come here helping and talking with them (the residents).” – Shalom
“First of all, it’s my responsibility. Second, I’m thankful to God to give me life, to breathe, to come here and take care of my residents.” – Kenya
“Because my residents and coworkers depend on me and I value them.” – Alyson
We know these expressions of commitment are highly representative of all our Ambulatory Services caregivers, who have always shown great resiliency, especially during the uncertainty and upheaval of recent months. From those who have weathered off-call periods due to fluctuations in community health care needs, to those who have been treating COVID-19 and continue working to prevent the spread of it in our communities, we thank you for your heartfelt service to Centura Health, our patients and one another.
As additional examples of our exemplary caregivers, we asked a few other associates at Porter Place for their insights regarding the past few months.
“I’ve learned how important it is to work as a team because we couldn’t get through this alone. Every department was able to collaborate and help each other out when we were short-staffed. We had a lot of employees out with the virus, but we all covered anywhere we could to make sure residents received the care they needed.” – Sadie Carrillo
“I learned that following proper procedure helps prevent the spread of the virus and also saves lives. We had help from Centura staff from other facilities to assist with getting vital signs, covering nursing shifts and covering caregiving shifts. This helped us to work as a team and provide our residents with the best care possible.” – Vin Yin
“Over the past couple of weeks, I have learned how important social interaction and communication is. Not only for us, but for those we care for as well. I have worked as a team with other employees by always checking in with them, asking how they are doing, and offering help if it seems like they need it.” – Kendra Gertje
While we look forward to the days ahead, we should all be proud of the value we provide Centura Health as a group of reliable, flexible and consummate professionals who are united in our cause to better the lives of others.
The COVID-19 pandemic has overtaken the health care world in 2020 and we know that it has had a significant impact on each of your lives. There is no single way to express our gratitude to you, and your families, for the amazing work you’ve done and the sacrifices you’ve made over the past four months to support our communities.
The system-level leadership team has been diligently working to identify ways they can support our teams and reflect their gratitude. In April, when the stay-at-home order took effect, many businesses and employees across the country were impacted, and Centura Health was no different. Our leadership team was quick to create a low-census policy that would support our associates impacted by the lower-than-usual volumes. This quick action allowed us to be ahead of other health care providers in the community and provide clarity for associates early on regarding how their compensation might be impacted.
In addition to offering low-census pay, we were able to offer some work hours to our associates by taking lead on the COVID-19 testing across the system. This, along with other re-assignments along the way, allowed us to mitigate some of the impact on pay.
Once we got through March and April, which proved to be the toughest months so far, our executive leadership team focused on identifying other appreciation efforts to express their gratitude for associates’ continued dedication. First, they offered Memorial Day as a “free” holiday across the organization, allowing everyone some much deserved downtime (or putting the equivalent PTO in associates’ bank to take another day if they were supporting our patients).
In mid-June, two additional acts of gratitude were announced, which include an appreciation bonus for “front-line” associates who were directly involved in COVID-19 patient care delivery, and a PTO balance increase for associates that had PTO usage exceeding 40 hours in order to supplement their hours for low-census periods.
As our President & CEO Peter D. Banko perhaps said best: “Heroes are born in the time of crisis. I am so grateful for the 21,000 heroes across our hospitals, clinics, ambulatory settings, care sites and corporate offices in Colorado and western Kansas. You have always been here ready and expertly poised to respond to any challenge put in front of you, especially this particularly daunting one.”
Ambulatory Services is excited to announce the opening of a new Urgent Care in Fountain, Colorado, on July 1. This Urgent Care will be the first site in our innovative strategy that is aligned with the Colorado Springs market expression of Centura Health 2025. The site will continue to focus on providing exceptional patient care and experience in a retail setting.
The space is approximately 1,400 square feet with three clinical rooms and one triage room, and equipped with a portable X-ray. There are many floor-to-ceiling windows that make the space bright and welcoming for the patients and staff.
We are looking forward to this opportunity to grow and expand into communities where Centura Health doesn’t currently have a footprint!
Driven by a unique partnership between Centura Health and University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS), the William J. Hybl Sports Medicine and Performance Center represents an unprecedented opportunity for patients and students as clinical practice is joined with graduate and undergraduate education and research. This state-of-the-art center has opened today, June 30, for their first patient day. The following services will be offered at the Hybl Center:
Medical services
On July 12, the Epic upgrade and Storyboard launch will unveil new features and functions to continue leveraging efficiencies, improving quality of patient care and delivering exceptional patient experiences. It’s important that you prepare for the upgrade and the steps that precede it.
What to expect