Kaweah Health Employee Huddle

February 19, 2021

Please Note: When time does not allow us to answer every submitted question, we answer questions at the next week KD Huddle. Submit a question now for next week by e-mailing dvolosin@kaweahhealth.org.

EMPLOYEE HUDDLE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FEBRUARY 19, 2021

1. Is there a plan to re-open The Lifestyles Center? If we reopen, what will happen to the kids and the COVID collection site?

• Yes, we look forward to re-opening TLC as soon as possible after we meet State and County guidelines. We don’t know at this point when that will be, but could possibly be in a month or two. At the same time, schools are starting to re-open which will create less need for our day camp program. Currently we have 70 children participating at some point during the week. We are looking at the best space to utilize if we have both TLC and the Day Camp operating at the same time.
• We are working on a space to relocate the COVID collection site that is currently at Lifestyles.

2. An email was recently sent out about updated guidelines from CDC. At the bottom of the email it states an employee may or may not continue to be eligible or unemployment as well as the employee may also apply for personal leave up to 30 days. Can you please explain this?

• A quarantine applies if living in the home with a COVID-positive individual and the employee is not two-weeks post the second vaccine and is not symptomatic. The individual could be a family member, friend, roommate or otherwise. If a qualified family member and the individual needs care, an employee might file for a leave under the Family Medical Leave Act. That then might qualify the employee for Unemployment-related benefits. However, if the individual is not a qualified family member and FMLA doesn’t apply, and work is available, then the Employment Development Department may not approve Unemployment-related benefits. In the case above, the employee may apply for a Personal Leave and use accrued PTO. This is only one example; there are a number of individual situations and it’s best to reach out to the LOA Team. At this time, we have only three employees on quarantine.

3. Now that our employee positive numbers are lower are we still having to utilize travelers? Are we still paying out extra shift bonuses just to get coverage?

• We will utilize travelers as long as we need the staffing support. Kaweah Health, along with most other hospitals, always have some need for travelers. The Extra Shift Bonus program is in effect, but will wind down as no longer needed to support staffing. Right now, we have 42 employees on COVID-related leave of absence, down from a high of 231 some weeks ago.

4. Two HR leaders are retiring in the very near future and while we celebrate the new season they are entering, it is also sad and hard for the teams that are left behind. How are the HR teams adjusting? Did we have a lot of retirements across the District in 2020?

• We had 52 retirements in 2020, similar to prior years.
• Laura Goddard, Director of Organizational Development and Gloria Simonetti, Manager of Employee Health are retiring soon from their full-time roles. As such we have restructured in our departments and with the promotion of Raleen Larez to Director of Employee Relations, Engagement and Employee Health, she and I will work very closely with the two staff in Organizational Development. For Employee Health, Gaby Robles, a long time Case Manager in Employee Health has assumed the Interim Manager role. Both Laura and Gloria have given many years to Kaweah Health and will be missed!

5. Dianne, you have been focusing mainly on COVID for almost a year. As the VP of HR, what is something that you are looking forward to concentrating on in 2021?

• I’m looking forward to the work that will come out of our FY2022 Ideal Work Environment Strategic Initiative. A group of leaders and staff have started meeting and will continue through March. At that point, a smaller group will form and continue into the future. I’m excited that we are ready to roll out initiatives that support our Kaweah Care Culture - Just Culture, Leadership Development, and telephone etiquette programs. I’m certain we will be reviewing mentoring programs, continuing review of compensation programs based on career ladders, studying our benefits programs closely including PTO and EIB, expanding our volunteer programs, and working with K-12 students while also bringing in new school resources for those interested in growing in their education.

6. The positive numbers are going down, but our deaths are going up. Are the cases more severe?

• We are seeing deaths of people who have been sick since the last surge and have been battling the virus. The cases are not more severe, the deaths, especially for our ICU patients are sometimes 2-3 months after hospitalization. The death rate in February is significantly lower than January and December, but we are still experiencing COVID related deaths for our patients.

7. Are there any updates on our Visitor Policy?

• We have decided to wait to make changes to the visitor policy until our county moves into the moderate or orange tier.

8. If a TB test is required for employment, why isn’t the COVID vaccine required? What is the percentage of our employees that have declined the vaccine?

• A TB test is diagnostic for a disease someone may already have while a vaccine is the actual administration of a medication into a person’s body. We allow our team members the choice and give them alternatives if they do not want to be vaccinated for COVID, the flu or others. Most health care workers do trust the vaccine. Some people are waiting to see more outcomes since the vaccine was given Emergency Use Authorization but we have had many of those people start to get the vaccine now too that more time has passed. People should talk with their primary care doctors and do research from reputable sources to make the decision about the vaccine. About 60% of our team have had the vaccine at this point with more scheduled in the future.

9. An employee has had both vaccines and has had friends who have also had both vaccines. Is it safe for her to visit them in their home if they stay social distanced and mask?

• I definitely appreciate that both are vaccinated. The masks and distancing are still critical since we can still spread the virus and possibly take it to others who have not been vaccinated yet. I would recommend also visiting outside, just to add one more layer of protection.

10. I have a family member that wants to know the following: If due to availability I am a little late in receiving the second how will that affect the efficacy of the vaccine?

• Your body will still work to develop those antibodies even if the second shot is delayed. I think most providers of the vaccine are ensuring they have second doses, but I recommend confirming that with whoever you get the vaccine from. If that is a problem someone is encountering in this county, let me know so I can follow up.

11. Keri, you have been focusing mainly on COVID for almost a year now. As the CNO what is something that you are anxious to focus more energy on? What is your vision for the nursing side of our organization?

• I am looking forward to still earning trust of my team. So they know the work and decision I am doing is in their best interest. Work with nursing leaders to find out what process issues are going on and help streamline. Standardize work with managers and across departments. I want to help other patient care teams that aren’t nursing to have voice in decisions. I am an interdisciplinary individual and want to bring more focus and brining teams together to have same goals and outcomes for patients. I am invested in ideal work environment and patient experience.

12. Can we get an update on the County vaccination process and how it’s going? How many first and second doses have been given out at this time?

• As of yesterday, the County has received a total of 59,825 doses of vaccine and has administered 32,770 doses. They don’t indicate how many are first versus second doses. As for Kaweah Health, February 10^th was our last vaccination clinic day; as of that date, we have now administered 3,412 first doses and 3,118 second doses to employees, providers, clergy and contracted vendors who come into the hospital. We have also given 32 first-dose vaccines and 25 second-dose vaccines too our longer-term skilled nursing patients; all in all, Kaweah Health has now administered 6,587 doses of vaccine. The County vaccination process is still unchanged for now—you go online to register for a vaccination and they contact you with an appointment, assuming you are eligible under the State’s phase and tier eligibility rollout plan.

13. Are we supposed to get the COVID vaccine every year or is it only once in a lifetime?

• We don’t know that yet but it will most likely be an annual vaccine.

14. How long do we need to wait after we have had COVID to receive the vaccine?

• The recommendation is 10 days.

15. When is the vaccine going to be available at our clinics and urgent cares?

• All of our clinics and urgent care centers have been approved by the State as authorized vaccination sites. We are starting immunizations on Tuesday at our Court Street Urgent Care Center. All of this is contingent upon the availability of vaccine which still is spotty and inconsistent. We are hoping this will improve with Blue Shield of California taking over the administration, management and distribution of vaccine for California. Because of Tulare County’s high infection and death rates, we have been designated as a “First Wave” county where we will be one of the first counties to begin receiving vaccine through Blue Shield, and hopefully in much greater quantities. Starting Tuesday on our vaccines at Court Street.

16. Can a family member walk into one of the KD clinics to request the COVID-19 vaccine if they have a letter from their job stating they are eligible for vaccination in Phase 1A?

• They cannot get it at our clinics at this time.

17. When will we come to the point where we just move forward and adjust as necessary? I think it is confusing to the community when we open surgery and then shut it down again. I know we are at the mercy of the state, but, isn’t there a point when we just establish a new normal and adapt?

• The short answer is I don’t know. During a really heavy flu season, we don’t cut back on surgeries but we might open surge beds in the Blue Room or Acequia Wing Conference room or erect tents in the front parking lot. We just do what we need to do. But the flu peaks in the winter and then disappears in the spring. It has a clear start and stop and we might have a few hundred flu-related admissions to the medical center during the flu season.
• With COVID, we’ve now had three separate surges over the course of a year and the last one was overwhelming. We had to shut down elective surgery in March and April to brace for the onslaught that never came; we then ramped back down in July when we did get hit with a surge; it subsided in the fall, elective surgeries returned, but then we were absolutely slammed in December and January when the big wave hit. We have now reopened elective surgeries but cautiously because the medical center is still quite full, running at close to 90% occupancy. I do believe that vaccinations will change our future and allow us to get back to a “new normal” where COVID is treated just like the flu because of the vaccines effectiveness in keeping COVID-infected individuals out of the hospital.

18. Do you anticipate the Guild returning soon?

• We are talking to the Guild and hope to bring them back once it is safe as their group is comprised of mainly senior citizens.

19. As CEO of one of the largest employers in this County, what is your vision for Kaweah Health in 2021?

• My vision for Kaweah Health remains unchanged: To become “world class” across all five of our pillars; to be the provider of choice for our community and our service area; to stand out among our competition and other health care providers; to be a “top-decile” performer in the avoidance of hospital-acquired infections and quality outcomes; to remain one of HealthGrades’ Top 250 hospitals in the Country; to be the employer/hospital of choice for our staff and providers by creating and sustaining an ideal work environment that genuinely demonstrates its appreciation and support of them; to be competitive and attractive in wages, benefits and other employee programs; to regain the financial strength we enjoyed pre-pandemic; to seek out further affiliations and partnerships with the likes of the Cleveland Clinic, USC, and Valley Children’s Hospital; to continue building our integrated delivery network (Sequoia Integrated Health) with our physician and hospital partners; and to continue transforming our organization into a comprehensive, efficient, renowned healthcare system.
• The speed by which we pursue this vision will be greatly influenced by our emergence from this pandemic and our ability to “catch our breath” and refocus. We want to be that proverbial “phoenix rising from the pandemic’s ashes” and not the “marathon runner who collapses at the finish line with nothing left to give”. But we must also be very sensitive and cognitive of the fact that this pandemic has taken a great toll on all of us—emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually and financially—and we need time to heal and gain back our strength. I am genuinely excited about our future, only made possible by all of you.