By Brett Milam
Editor
The region’s hospitals held a Zoom town hall on May 15 to discuss the next phase in the coronavirus pandemic, particularly as hospitals resume normal, non-COVID-19 procedures.
Representatives from 12 hospital networks in Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky were in the meeting, which was organized by The Health Collaborative, a nonprofit, multi-take stakeholder organization based in Cincinnati. Craig Brammer, The Health Collaborative’s CEO, hosted the town hall.
Those involved included:
– Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center: Joshua Schaffzin, MD, PhD, Director, Infection Prevention & Control.
– The Christ Hospital Health Network: Michael Jennings, MD, President, The Christ Hospital Physicians and Vice President & Chief Clinical Officer.
– Highpoint Health: Dr. Nancy Kennedy, Chief Medical Officer.
– Hoxworth Blood Center: Dr. David Oh, Chief Medical Officer.
– Kettering Health Network: Dr. Jeffrey Weinstein, Infectious Disease Specialist.
– Lindner Center of HOPE: Danielle Johnson, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Psychiatrist.
– Margaret Mary Health: Tim Putnam, President and CEO.
– Mercy Health – Cincinnati: Dr. Stephen Feagins, Chief Clinical Officer.
– Premier Health: Dr. Roberto Colon, VP of Quality and Safety.
– St. Elizabeth Healthcare: Garren Colvin, President and CEO.
– TriHealth: Bryan Strader, MD, TriHealth Physician Partners Executive.
– UC Health: Evie Alessandrini, MD, MSCE, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer.
The Health Collaborative, through its disaster preparedness arm, was the organization coordinating the surge plan around the Tristate, including Clermont County, which involved resource allocation for hospitals, public health departments, emergency services, emergency management, and other community partners.
Part of that plan also involved the alternative care center established briefly at the Duke Energy Convention Center, which became a makeshift hospital, but was decommissioned.
At the beginning of the town hall, each member gave an introduction, but the overall message from both The Health Collaborative and the region’s doctors, talking on behalf of their hospital networks, was: “Our hospitals are safe and ready to provide care in your time of need – do not delay care if you exhibit symptoms.”
“What makes our region great is our ability to work collaboratively,” Brammer said.
Jennings echoed that sentiment, saying it’s been refreshing and inspiring to see all the healthcare community come together and share ideas, protocols, research, staff and personal protective equipment.
“I think we should also recognize and thank our community. I think it’s fair to say that without the efforts of our citizens, who have heeded the advice of Governor [Mike] DeWine and Dr. [Amy] Acton, relative to social distancing and all those things that have kept us safe, if not for those efforts, we wouldn’t be here today talking about how we can safely get back to some degree of normalcy, so thank you to our community for all their work and everything they’ve put to these efforts,” he said.
Schaffzin said he understands parents may have anxiety about returning to the medical center for care for their children, but that Children’s Hospital is complying with state orders on proper social distancing, providing PPE, universal mask-wearing, cleaning, and screening to ensure it’s safe.
Alessandrini said those coming into the hospital should be prepared and in communication with their primary care physician, and not be afraid to ask questions. Part of that preparation will be to wear a cloth covering on their face.
“But when you get here, in most circumstances, you’re going to be screened,” she said.
That screening process involves asking if the patient has had any symptoms or exposure to someone with the coronavirus, and to take their temperature.
“Remember, that they are being done for your safety and benefit, and to participate in those so that we can keep you and ourselves safe,” Alessandrini said.
Feagins noted that all those non-COVID-19 issues — broken bones, heart attacks, and other types of heart failures — they are treated “exactly the same” in non-COVID-19 units.
Oh said the role Hoxworth has played has been collecting and distributing the “high demand” convalescent plasma to all the hospitals in their Tristate network. They actually are at the point now where they have enough inventory to help others beyond the Tristate, Oh added.
One of the questions during the town hall was specific to Oh, regarding how to be a convalescent plasma donor. At Hoxworth.org, people can take a survey to begin the process of seeing if they are eligible. So far, 600 people have submitted information, but Oh said they are prioritizing people who are test-positives.
Johnson talked about the mental health aspect of the pandemic, and said the effects on mental health will be played out for some time.
“Most people are going to have some type of mental health symptoms during this time; life is not normal, we’re all stressed out,” she said. “But what we get concerned [about] is when those symptoms develop into depression or anxiety disorder.”
She explained that things to look out for when that threshold for depression is crossed include symptoms, such as when someone loses interest in things they typically enjoy, feelings of hopelessness, lack of energy, and an ability to concentrate.
For anxiety, symptoms include significant worrying, panic attacks, heart racing, rashes, stomach aches, and so forth. On both, these symptoms get worrisome when they impair daily function, Johnson said, and that’s when you need to get help.
Those who need such help can contact the Lindner Center of HOPE at 513-536-4673. The Clermont County Crisis Hotline number is 513-528-7283.
A question was asked about why patients have to wear masks into the hospitals, and Brammer noted that the masks are a sign of solidarity and how “we’re in this together,” as well as the clinical benefits.
Strader said what they’ve done at Tri-Health to try to de-escalate situations where a patient doesn’t want to wear a mask is to educate them as to why the mask is happening: it’s for your protection and the persons around you to prevent droplet spread just from your breath, he said.
On what the public can do to help during the pandemic, Colvin said the biggest thing the public can do is treat the healthcare system as “status quo,” adding that it’s safer than it’s ever been to seek care, if needed.
“Once the full opening is released across both states, probably at the end of the month, and open in Indiana as well, I think what we need to do is to make sure that we continue to think of others before you think of yourselves,” he added.
Schaffzin added that we’re all learning a new normal together, and what the recovery is really about is that we know what’s effective to hold COVID-19 at bay, “at least temporarily,” in distancing, masking, hand hygiene, and disinfection.
“And now our challenge is going to be to learn how to do those things while getting back to our normal lives, our new normal lives,” he said.