While it is vital to your health and wholeness to take time off to recharge and revitalize your spirit while connecting with the people and activities that inspire you, we recognize that for many of you, the ongoing pandemic has impacted your ability to use your accrued Paid Time Off (PTO). Based on your feedback, we are offering a one-time PTO cash out.

As part of this one-time program, eligible associates may elect to cash out up to 80 hours of PTO (while maintaining a balance of at least 40 hours). We are providing two options for this cash out for interested associates to select the option that best fits your situation. The election period begins this week and runs through Dec. 31.

Past PTO cash out
This option allows eligible associates to cash out up to 80 hours of PTO that has already been accrued and is currently available in Lawson. Elected hours would be paid during the second pay period of February 2022 and taxable per International Revenue Service (IRS) regulations at the supplemental tax rate. Additionally, IRS guidelines require past PTO cash out elections to be paid at a discount of 10%. For example, if an associate elects to cash out 80 hours of PTO currently in their PTO bank, and their current wage is $20, the PTO cash out would be paid at a 10% discount ($18/hour) for the 80 hours.

Future PTO cash out
With this option, associates may elect in December to cash out up to 80 hours of PTO that is due to be accrued between December 2021 and May 2022. Elected hours would be paid to individuals at their regular rate of pay and received during the second pay period of June 2022. The cash out is taxable per IRS regulations at the supplemental tax rate, but the discount does not apply.

Both options require a minimum balance of 40 hours to be remaining in your PTO bank. Additional details and resources to help you select the best option for your situation will be shared later this week about how to make your voluntary one-time PTO cash out.

Questions?
Contact your local human resources director.

Programs, policies, pay and benefits may not apply to all associates, departments or locations; you will need to speak with your manager for specific questions and details.

Supporting your continued growth, development and ability to live your mission. We are supporting you in new ways through enhancement of our total rewards structure and introducing new benefits as we continue our journey to become the system of choice for our caregivers. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, our annual Tuition Reimbursement benefit will increase from $3,000 to $5,000 for full-time associates and $1,500 to $2,500 for part-time associates. Click here to read the current tuition reimbursement policy.

Just a few spots remain for our program! Register today to guarantee your spot. Registration closes on Dec. 17. Want to learn more before you commit? An open house will be held at The Institute on Tuesday, Dec. 14 at 5:30 p.m. Drop in to talk with fitness and nutrition experts and find out if this program is a good fit for you.

We are so excited to provide our Corporate/Service Center associates with a transformative program to holistically strengthen your mind and body through exercise and fitness classes, meaningful assessments and individual coaching. This program is built for all levels of fitness and is available at no cost to you through our partnership with Panorama Wellness & Sport Institute.

Take the first step to a harmonized you!
Limited openings are available as we head into the next quarter of the Mind & Body program. If you are an interested Corporate/Service Center associate, register by Friday, Dec. 17 to join us! The next session of this program will kick off on Jan. 17 and is designed to inspire a lasting lifestyle change. You will complete a pre-assessment, followed by a post-assessment after your first 12 weeks to measure your results and re-up your commitment to the next session.

Space is limited, so take action today!

What happens once I join?
This program runs through December 2022 and is broken down into 12-week sessions. The next session will begin on Monday, Jan. 17.

After acceptance into the program, you will complete your Performance Profile Assessment and biometric screening to establish a base line whole health and fitness level. Testing will be offered the week of Jan. 3 at The Institute. The Performance Profile Assessment is built on five easy tests:

• Movement analysis: An objective analysis of your musculoskeletal structure to assess motion health.
• Muscle age: Reviews how young or old your muscles are compared to your age.
• Cholesterol screening: Measures your HDL, LDL and triglyceride levels.
• Nutritional assessment: Identify and understand your nutrition needs.
• Health assessment: Better understand your overall health.

• Mondays and Wednesdays, each from 6 to 6:40 a.m. or 6:40 to 7:20 a.m. – Fitness at The Institute (1060 Plaza Drive, Suite 100, Highlands Ranch)

We are proud to announce that Maria Kneusel, DNP, MSHCE, MSN Ed, RN, CMGT-BC, Diversity & Inclusion Specialist, has been named the Nurse of the Year by the National Association of Hispanic Nurses! The NAHN Nurse of the Year Award is for a nurse who has contributed to improving health care in the Hispanic community. Nominees are evaluated on innovation, creativity, leadership and advocacy.

Maria is on a mission to care about others and to lift others up, always extending grace, and without judgment, and she brings her personal mission to her role at Centura and in her involvement with her community. She is the Past President of the Denver NAHN chapter and serves on the Board of Directors for Vuela for Health.

As the COVID-19 vaccine became available to our communities in early 2021, Maria was a fierce advocate for addressing vaccine hesitancy and inequity. She was instrumental in raising awareness about vaccines in Spanish-speaking populations. In February 2021, Centura partnered with Vuela for Health to host a special vaccination event that resulted in vaccinating over 80 promotoras – a Spanish term for community health workers, and lay health workers in Latinx communities. With the help of those promotoras, Maria has now coordinated over 40 vaccine events, providing more than 6,000 vaccines to the Latinx population. In addition, she engages local nursing colleges and universities to offer nursing students the opportunity to gain clinical experiences in communities of color.

Maria advocates for creating healthy environments for families that have significant barriers to accessing health care. Whether it is through her volunteer work in the community or her work with our Diversity & Inclusion team, Maria creates awareness for health equity and is helping to build healthier communities and neighborhoods for underserved populations.

“Maria’s publications, research and presentations all emulate her passion for her community through care of others with respect while meeting their health needs,” shared Sally Tenorio, RN, BSN, Past President, NAHN, Denver Chapter, in Maria’s nomination for the award. “She has never wavered in her desire to teach and help others to take an active role to make a change in the world that is so desperately needed.”

Maria recently accepted the award at the NAHN 2021 Annual Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“I feel so honored to have received this award. It’s always so encouraging to be recognized. Truly, none of this work would have been possible without a lot of teamwork and support from my family, my NAHN peers, Centura, and the community,” shared Maria. ”There is much more work to be done but being able to do that work alongside so many wonderful people who care about our communities is such a source of joy! I hope to continue helping where I can.”

Please join us in celebrating Maria and her incredible accomplishment!

Quick fact Since the initial soft-launch of patient Online Scheduling at select CHPG primary care clinics in October, 240 new patients* have made appointments online. *as of Nov. 23

As part of a larger digital strategy to improve patient access and care coordination, patient Online Scheduling via Centura.org is now available at 56 Centura Health Physician Group (CHPG) primary care clinics. Online Scheduling allows any patient, new or established, to search for their primary care provider on Centura.org and schedule an appointment right from the provider’s online profile.

Why Online Scheduling?
Online Scheduling makes it easier for our patients to connect with a provider and schedule their appointment in less than three minutes. Scheduling online also begins a continuum of online service to complement and support future patient care. For our incredible caregivers, this new feature will help reduce the amount of administrative work in our clinics.

On Oct. 18, we soft-launched the patient Online Scheduling tool at 10 CHPG primary care clinics. As we move into the next phase of this launch, beginning today, Nov. 30, Online Scheduling will now be available at a total of 56 CHPG primary care clinics (click table below to enlarge):

• Schedule your next primary care appointment online: As a reminder, to schedule an appointment at one of the above participating clinics, you can simply search for a provider on Centura.org. From there, you can select “schedule an appointment” right from the provider’s profile and select either “existing patient” or “new patient” to follow the prompts and book your appointment.
• Online Scheduling to expand to other specialties and departments: We will continue to monitor the patient Online Scheduling experience and gather feedback over the coming weeks before we plan to expand this feature to other specialties and departments throughout our ministry.