By: Chip Hubbs, CEO/President of Memorial Health
Like the rest of our region, our nation, and our world, Memorial Health was taken by surprise by this global pandemic. Together, we all faced an uncertain future both at home and at work as we encountered something none of us has experienced in our lifetimes.
Our healthcare system, like all others, is built and staffed to handle the 99% of healthcare issues that arise…not the 1%. Although, as an organization, we continuously monitor, review, practice, and enhance our crisis management processes, COVID-19 has proven to be a significant challenge – one that allows me to take stock of certain things, and glean lessons from others.
What is the most impactful thing you will take away from the COVID-19 pandemic?
The thing I take most seriously, more than anything else, is that I am a steward of Memorial’s well-being and of those that work here. We now have more than 1000 team members. Each one of those employees relies on Memorial for their livelihood, insurance, or retirement, and perhaps to take care of loved ones. The community relies on us to be here, not just for healthcare, but also as the second largest employer in Union County and a huge economic driver.
The pandemic has shown us that organizations, whether for-profit or not-for-profit, are able to be more resilient when backed by a solid, healthy balance sheet and cash reserve. Just as we all experience in our personal finances, having the extra funds when an emergency arises – whether it is a new roof or a car repair – allows us to make smarter, calmer decisions.
In the spring, we were experiencing staggering financial effects on Memorial’s fiscal health after the reduction of elective procedures and surgeries, in addition to the slowing of healthcare business in general. The uncertainty of the unknown caused me to have to make one of the bigger decisions of my career, which was what were we going to do to minimize these effects?
As it turned out, that seemingly difficult decision quickly became a very easy one.
For Memorial, having a strong cash reserve allowed us to make rational decisions in the midst of unprecedented times. While many hospitals chose to let people go as well as cut expenses, we made the purposeful commitment to our team members to avoid furloughs and layoffs, and continue to invest in our people.
At its core, our business is people taking care of people. We already had the best people; I did not want to lose them. And we certainly did not want to be in a situation where we had to go looking for more good people because we lost those that we already had. Because of Memorial’s success and growth over the past 10 years, we felt we could absorb the financial impact of COVID-19 with smart decision-making, without laying off or furloughing our team members.
We are very proud that, to date, we have not had to eliminate any positions during COVID-19. We exist as an organization to care for our community – we are, and will continue to be, all hands-on-deck to care for the mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and friends in our care.
How do you think the role of telehealth will continue to change?
The pandemic has prompted a shift throughout the country’s healthcare platform, most notably how care is delivered.
Memorial had been inching toward the adoption of telehealth services for years – but COVID-19 certainly accelerated its acceptance by patients and clinicians – in warp speed.
Telehealth services can provide patients and caregivers access to convenient medical care, from the safety of their home. At the same time, telehealth can help healthcare systems sustain the continuity of outpatient patient care in the midst of “stay at home” orders and physical distancing measures, while reducing community spread.
Interestingly enough, Memorial saw a large surge of telehealth usage in the early stages of the pandemic, but then saw the usage level off. We continue to hear from patients that, while they appreciate the availability of telehealth appointments for certain situations, they place a higher value on building a continuous face-to-face relationship with their provider. This sentiment reinforces one of the core values of Memorial and our care.
Time will tell how fully integrated telehealth will be within the healthcare landscape – both nationally and here in our region.
How will the pandemic affect the career choice of medicine?
Healthcare workers across the globe have been on center stage since the beginning of the pandemic. From gaining titles like “healthcare heroes” to “people of the year,” those who have chosen medicine have been lifted to superhero status.
And rightly so. Front line health workers do what they do because they want to take care of people. Now, more than ever, our community and hospital need their continued expertise. They are called upon to stay late, pick up additional shifts, work off-shift, or take on additional responsibilities. They hold the hands of patients, while simultaneously caring for their ailments and pains.
Will we see an increase in those that go into the medical field because of these stories of bravery and heroism? Will more people choose to study nursing, respiratory therapy, or emergency medicine, to be that caregiver when it is needed the most?
National Public Radio (NPR) recently released an article, detailing a shift in medical school entries. The number of applicants for medical school “is up 18% this year over last year, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, driven by the example of medical workers and public health figures such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.” Described as the “Fauci Effect,” students are looking at Dr. Fauci, in addition to doctors and nurses in their local community, and wanting to make a difference too.
COVID-19 has provided the opportunity for clinicians to perform their unique skills on the highest stage – in the middle of a pandemic. Here’s hoping more young people follow in these hero footsteps.
What will the long-term health effects of COVID-19 look like?
One of our largest concerns are those patients who are delaying care during the pandemic and what long-term detriments that delay will cause. Healthcare systems across the nation are continuing to sound the alarm – we all are working to protect each other from the virus, but we must not neglect our other conditions. As people who care about people, we need our patients to seek care when they need it – for heart conditions, COPD, diabetes, etc. – we need to take care of ourselves today, for tomorrow.
As for the long-term effects of COVID itself, I recently read where someone compared it to when soldiers return home after war – we are not certain of the long-term effects for some time – until research can identify consistencies and patterns. Healthcare researchers are learning more and more every day about what lingering ailments may accompany those who have suffered the hardest due to COVID.
How has the “work from home” solution impacted your organization?
Certainly, in healthcare organizations like ours, with a vast majority of our team providing direct or indirect patient care, working from home is not an option. Our team members in these crucial positions are on the front lines of care, and are often called upon to work longer hours and extra shifts, to prepare our system for the various stages of the pandemic.
However, for roles like IT, marketing, accounting, or business development, working from home proves to be a solid solution for many of our team members. And in doing so, it allows Memorial to do our part to help slow the spread of COVID in our community.
But frankly, I don’t find it to be ideal. Memorial prides itself on the relationships we build – with our patients, between providers, amongst employees and community partners. Nothing can replace face-to-face interactions – we all benefit when we can see body language cues and facial expressions of those we are working with. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of social interaction and human contact within almost every aspect of our lives, including education, employment, entertainment, and recreation. I believe in the tremendous value of face-to-face communications and collaboration, and I look forward to the day it returns 100%.
In light of the PPE concerns in the beginning of the pandemic, what have you learned?
Unfortunately, supply chain concerns did not begin with COVID. The healthcare industry has experienced such shortages before – think back to 2017 when Hurricane Maria compromised pharmaceutical manufacturing of saline bags and IV tubing components coming from the Caribbean.
A continued goal post-pandemic should be to focus healthcare industry efforts on ensuring critical medical items are manufactured in more than one company in diverse geographic areas – nationally and internationally. This realignment needs to occur to ensure hospitals and healthcare institutions are able to obtain critical supplies for everyday care.
Tell us how the pandemic has shined a light on the role of public health?
Locally, Memorial Health enjoys a strong spirit of collaboration with our public health partners –even before COVID, our teams worked closely on shared goals and messages to benefit the health and wellness of our community. While this is not always the case in all cities and counties across the nation, we are fortunate to experience a solid foundation of mutual trust and cooperation.
And, that relationship has continued to grow stronger during the COVID pandemic. From social distancing guidelines to diagnosis testing to the vaccine process, we work side-by-side as needed.
On a more global scale, I believe our public health officials are navigating the unchartered waters of a global once-in-a-lifetime pandemic – with no course map. A pandemic that doesn’t know political affiliations or socioeconomic levels. For that reason, it is crucial that our public health policies and guidelines be depoliticized, with a more robust reckoning on health disparities that exist in communities across the U.S.
In closing, I trek along the pandemic course with each of you – gaining knowledge, understanding life’s importance, and relishing the day of normalcy. And with that comes an awareness that there is goodness in humanity, even in the darkness. Throughout this pandemic and continuing today, our community members have gathered together to procure masks, 3D-print face shields, and hand-sew masks and scrub caps for our workers. Restaurants, churches and local business have donated food and cards to our workers, as well as our local first responders. These acts of kindness and appreciation from the community have fueled our team members – and that, is one of the best things I will walk away with.