| Feb. 23, 2021 Edition 82 |
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In this article, Oswaldo “Ozzie” Grenardo, MD, Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, debunks common myths about the COVID-19 vaccines.
Starting Monday, March 8, Microsoft Teams will be deployed across our connected ecosystem. Discover learning opportunities and new ways to collaborate.
With this exciting new feature, you will have the ability to more easily view your own PTO balances.
The deadline to earn your health insurance premium reduction or a cash reward through Inspire Wellbeing is March 31. Don’t delay – log in today to earn points toward your incentive!
As a valued caregiver, Centura wants to provide you with the opportunity to grow, develop and live your mission, right here within our vibrant, connected ecosystem. View our 
Starting Tuesday, March 23, Centura Health will enable changes in our electronic health record to meet the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act.
Centura has partnered with Hunger Free Colorado to screen and enroll patients, associates or their loved ones needing assistance into a supplemental nutrition assistance program.
Bill Martin will manage all real estate leasing, acquisition and disposition of assets across our system.
View opportunities to engage in upcoming discussions that can assist you in your professional and personal lives.
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| © 2021 Centura Health. All Rights Reserved. Proprietary and Confidential - for internal distribution only. |
Oswaldo “Ozzie” Grenardo, MD, Senior Vice President & Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, delineates fact from fiction regarding COVID-19 vaccines in a Q&A session as supported by recent recommendations and guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Myth: The COVID-19 vaccine is not safe because it was rapidly developed and tested.
Fact: Many pharmaceutical companies invested significant resources into quickly developing a vaccine for COVID-19 because of the world-wide impact of the pandemic. The situation warranted an emergency response but that does not mean that companies bypassed safety protocols or didn't perform adequate testing.
Centura Health recommends the use of those vaccines that we are confident are safe. While there are many COVID-19 vaccine candidates in development, current vaccines being used include Pfizer/BioNTecH and Moderna. These were created using a novel technology based on the molecular structure of the virus. The novel methodology to develop a COVID-19 vaccine allows it to be free from materials of animal origin and synthesized by an efficient, cell-free process without preservatives. The vaccines developed by Pfizer/BioNTecH and Moderna have been studied in approximately 70,000 people and more than 54 million doses have been given to people in the U.S. as of February 15, 2021.
To receive emergency use authorization, the biopharmaceutical manufacturer must have followed at least half of the study participants for at least two months after completing the vaccination series, and the vaccine must be proven safe and effective in that population. In addition to the safety review by the FDA, the Advisory Committee on Immunization has convened a panel of vaccine safety experts to independently evaluate the safety data from the clinical trial. The safety of COVID-19 vaccine will continue to be closely monitored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the FDA.
Myth: I already had COVID-19 and I have recovered, so I don't need to get a COVID-19 vaccine when it's available.
Fact: There is not enough information currently available to say if or for how long after infection someone is protected from getting COVID-19 again. This is called natural immunity. Early evidence suggests natural immunity from COVID-19 can last up to eight months, but more studies are needed to better understand this. Centura recommends getting the COVID-19 vaccine, even if you’ve had COVID-19 previously. However, those that had COVID-19 should delay vaccination until about 90 days from diagnosis. People should not get vaccinated if in quarantine after exposure or if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
Myth: I won't need to wear a mask after I get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Fact: It may take time for everyone who wants a COVID-19 vaccination to get one. Also, while the vaccine may prevent you from getting sick, it is unknown at this time if you can still carry and transmit the virus to others.
Until more is understood about how well the vaccine works, continuing with precautions, such as wearing a mask and practicing physical distancing, will be important.
Myth: COVID-19 vaccines will alter my DNA.
Fact: The first COVID-19 vaccines to reach the market are the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. According to the CDC, mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells in the body how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. Injecting mRNA into your body will not interact or do anything to the DNA of your cells as the mRNA does not get into the nucleus where the DNA is located. Human cells break down and get rid of the mRNA soon after they have finished using the instructions.
Centura Health Information Technology (IT) will introduce the Microsoft (MS) Teams platform across our connected ecosystem starting Monday, March 8. MS Teams will replace Skype for Business instant messaging and introduce a collaboration platform where associates can create project sites, share documents, collaborate and communicate as part of your daily work. The deployment will cascade across our connected ecosystem following the schedule below:
Skype for Business instant messaging will no longer be supported by Microsoft and will be discontinued in July 2021. By moving to MS Teams, IT is proactively providing a replacement for Skype for Business instant messaging, as well as a communication and collaboration platform that is fully integrated with SharePoint.
What you can expect:
We are committed to supporting you and ensuring Kronos Workforce Dimensions (WFD) provides a top-notch user experience for our people. In response to your feedback and our ongoing evaluation of opportunities to streamline your experience and maintain accurate timekeeping records, we continue to thoughtfully implement updates and enhancements to help optimize WFD functionality.
The latest enhancement is a new “Accruals” smart tile display, which is now available on your WFD homepage! This smart tile will make it easier than ever for associates to view accruals for their own time, allowing you to quickly and easily view your balances without leaving the home screen.
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Associates (and their covered spouses, as applicable) need to register for the new platform in order to participate in Inspire Wellbeing and earn rewards before the March 31 deadline!
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| Associates on a Centura Health medical plan: Start earning in five easy steps! Earn 1,000 points by March 31 to earn the full $1,000 health premium reduction! It’s easy to get started earning: ✔ Log in to Inspire Wellbeing. ✔ Take five minutes to complete your wellbeing survey to earn 100 points. ✔ Complete your tobacco status attestation to earn 400 points. ✔ Confirm you have completed your preventive care visit to earn 250 points. ✔ Complete other fun wellbeing activities to earn 250 program points. Together, these activities equal your full $1,000 incentive! Your covered spouse can also earn 1,000 points, for a total of up to $2,000 in health premium reductions. Click here for a program checklist with more details about how to access programs and earn your full reward. |
| Are you looking to expand your skill set and elevate your career? As a valued caregiver, Centura Health wants to provide you with the opportunity to grow and develop, right here within our vibrant, connected ecosystem. We are now accepting applications for our Nurse Residency Spring 2021 cohort for the Denver Metro area, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Canon City, Durango and northern Colorado facilities until Mar. 8 for our cohort starting May 17. Below are the links to submit an application: Please note, these applications work best in Chrome.
To apply to any of our residency programs, visit www.centura.org/careers and select Centura Health Associates, Internal Marketplace. You may be prompted to provide your Centura Health username and password to access the internal career site. If using a home computer, a VPN or Duo connection is required. To view the single job posting for all RN Residency Programs, search using keywords Nurse Residency Program. Details about each program and requirements are included in the job posting. Our Nurse Residency Program site also provides additional information about each residency program and the application process. Enabling associate career development is a top priority as we continue our journey to be the system of choice for our associates, physicians and our communities. Questions? Please email our Nurse Recruitment team at NurseRecruitment@Centura.org for more information. |
On Tuesday, March 23, Centura will enable changes in electronic health records to meet the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act. While our patients have always had access to a significant amount of their electronic health information through the patient portal, as well as their full medical record upon request through the Health Information Management (HIM) department, patients will now have real-time access to more of their health information through the patient portal.
The types of inpatient and outpatient clinical notes that will be accessible to patients in real-time through the patient portal include the following notes authored by physicians and advanced practice providers:
Centura has partnered with Hunger Free Colorado to screen and enroll patients, associates or their loved ones needing assistance into a supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP).
Through this program, we can connect Colorado families and individuals in need of resources to food stamps, food pantries, free meal sites, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and other nutrition programs geared toward families, children and seniors. Access to these programs helps those in need, whether due to a job loss, health issue, minimum-wage job or misfortune. One in 12 Coloradans uses food stamps, including hard-working families, children, seniors, veterans and those who are disabled. To learn more or to determine if you or a loved one is eligible for these benefits, reach out to us at WholePersonHealth@Centura.org.
Centura Health Food Resource Information
Click here for more information about Hunger Free Colorado.
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| Bill is on a mission to do well by doing good, and to support and encourage everyone around him. |