When Augusta Health’s hospital incident command structure was activated on March 13, 2020, in response to COVID-19, priorities shifted dramatically.

Establishing a Well-Functioning HICS

Augusta Health’s paramount priority in 2020 was keeping its team members safe while caring for a community impacted by a pandemic. The organization’s hospital incident command structure developed and activated an unexpected and all-consuming “product line” to manage COVID-19.

The HICS transformed the hospital almost overnight: carving out negative pressure respiratory care units within the hospital to care for COVID-19 patients; creating an essential negative pressure hallway within the ED; converting an urgent care center to a respiratory assessment center and mass testing center and directing anyone with respiratory symptoms to seek care at that single location; establishing a COVID-19 care call center; and coordinating all the policies, procedures, staff and supplies needed to plan and care for a surge in patients.

Implementing a Clear Strategic Plan
In 2019, Augusta Health’s board of directors approved a five-year strategic plan, Journey 2025, a comprehensive directive to meet the community’s emerging health needs. The plan defines eight driving strategies, implementation tactics and quarterly milestones. Several tactics are combined into the organization’s Enhanced Access driving strategy, including primary and specialty outpatient satellites in three geographic locations; a dedicated diabetes center on campus; virtual health through telemedicine; and a dedicated outpatient facility on campus to accommodate the community’s growing need for accessible and affordable outpatient services.

Deploying Frequent Communication
Since March 2020, the staff and community have received regular communication about hospital activity and community trends. Augusta Health is the community’s primary healthcare provider; therefore, it was essential that the organization communicate critical information about the pandemic proactively. Though the primary content of communications has been COVID-19-related, progress on other hospital projects also has been incorporated into messaging.

Internal email messages from the CEO and virtual town halls provided staff an opportunity to address Augusta Health leaders in a Q&A format. During the rapid evolution of the COVID-19 response in spring, employee communications were sent daily for the first 45 days and then twice weekly. A COVID-19 section was created on the hospital’s website with statistics, informative articles and updates on the hospital’s policies and procedures. Clear and consistent messaging to the media reduced community concerns and promoted safe and healthy behaviors. More than 550 internal and external communications were deployed in 2020.

Taking Care of Us
As the largest private employer in the area, Augusta Health pledged there would be no furloughs during the pandemic. Employees who elected to remain full time were retrained and redeployed to directly support COVID-19 efforts. Additional employee support included childcare assistance; ready-to-eat, take-home family meals from the cafeteria; and free hotel accommodations. The system also provided professional, emotional and spiritual support, and the community supported the staff through donated supplies and visible messages of encouragement.

With anxieties mitigated and jobs secure, the team has continually been able to focus on patient care at a time when it is desperately needed.

—Adapted from “Keeping the ‘Community’ in Community Hospital,” Healthcare Executive, Mary N. Mannix, FACHE, president/CEO of Augusta Health, Fishersville, Va.

Exceptional healthcare quality, top patient experience scores, sound financial performance and long-term success are all associated with organizations that exude a positive culture. Positive outcomes also reinforce a sense of accomplishment and facilitate further success and advancement. High-performing care teams are inherently focused on optimization and are eager to provide high-quality care; they also hold leaders accountable for providing requisite resources. What is more difficult to discern are the evolving, salient drivers of a positive culture, especially during a crisis.

The incredible stress that COVID-19 has placed on our care teams has highlighted the importance of well-being and resilience efforts to keep teams healthy. Increasingly, physicians and teammates need to feel empowered to be a part of the solution. Input from front-line teammates should be solicited and encouraged to guide initiatives and help chart the future.

Market analyses and large-scale aggregate data all provide C-suites, strategy teams and senior operational leaders with quantitative measures of how we compare with our local, regional and national competitors. However, our physicians and teammates also form comparisons that may not align with the big data. When surveying different communities around the country, it becomes very obvious that there are critical differences that can propel or destroy culture.

Wayne UNC Health Care endeavors to bridge the gaps between the urban, tertiary academic medical center and rural, community healthcare. “One UNC Health” includes the deliberate system of values that guide this cultural integration, firmly centered on patients and communities. With the ultimate goal of a shared culture and strategy, Wayne UNC Health Care will continually adapt to the changing needs and expectations around the state. Bidirectional learning and growth fuel this goal, and all senior leaders receive extensive training on leading change.

To ensure consistency and reward desired behaviors, Wayne UNC Health Care has developed a set of core values that are shared across the system.

Carolina Care is a holistic approach to patient care and to each other. It is a privilege to serve the people of North Carolina, and demonstrating kindness and compassion with every interaction is a must. This challenges every teammate to consider the impact and importance of their work in improving care quality and patient experience. No effort is insignificant, and all work is interdependent for optimal outcomes. From remote clinics and mobile units in underserved communities to widespread vaccination events, Wayne UNC Health Care has made adjustments to mitigate COVID-19 demands.

One Great Team emphasizes that we are better together and stronger as a team. Respecting each other’s differences ensures a more inclusive and equitable culture that encourages and supports input from everyone. As a cornerstone for empowerment, every team member is encouraged to provide input in decision-making, and feedback is actively solicited. This supplements medical and executive committees and offers additional opportunities to hear from physicians and teammates. The System Executive DEI Council ensures diversity, equity and inclusion, and health equity efforts are integrated into organizational strategy.

Leading the Way ensures every effort is focused on improving lives every day and training the next generation of healthcare professionals; Wayne UNC Health Care researchers are changing the world and facilitating innovative care. The organization is committed to health equity for all and works to educate teammates, patients and communities to address systemic disparities.

It Starts With Me ensures every teammate takes ownership of, and is accountable for, doing the right thing, every time. Everyone is empowered and trusted to step up and support each other, patients and our communities. When physicians and teammates go above and beyond, or identify unintended bureaucratic burdens, they are formally recognized and thanked by leaders at every level.

Sustainable engagement can only be obtained via collaboration, empowerment, recognition and mutual respect. A passionate team with a set of shared beliefs and values make Wayne UNC Health Care a best place to work and a best place to receive care—in person and remotely.

—Adapted from “Wayne UNC Health Care: Enhancing a Positive Culture,” Healthcare Executive, Jessie L. Tucker III, PhD, FACHE, president/CEO, Wayne UNC Health Care, Goldsboro, N.C.

ACHE is pleased to offer the annual Albert C. Dent and Foster G. McGaw Graduate Student Scholarships, which are awarded to outstanding students enrolled in health services administration graduate programs to help finance their education. Each scholarship is worth $5,000. Between the Dent and McGaw scholarships, ACHE awards up to 15 scholarships each year.

If students are eligible for both, they may apply for both. Students who identify as LGBTQ are now eligible for the Dent scholarship.

The application period is Jan. 3–Mar. 31. For more information, and to share with eligible students in your chapter, you may visit ache.org/scholarships.

Improve your visibility in the healthcare field and build your professional brand by sharing career updates with ACHE. Have you started a new job or been promoted recently? Are you planning to retire? Let ACHE know and possibly be listed in the “On the Move” section of Healthcare Executive magazine. All you have to do is email both your former and new job titles, organizations, locations and a high-resolution head shot to he-editor@ache.org.

Congratulations to the newly elected Regents, who will serve a three-year term on the Council of Regents, beginning in March 2022.

Regent-at-Large for District 3
Kris M. Drake, FACHE

Air Force
Lt Col Amanda M. Phlegar, FACHE

Alaska
William E. Sorrells, FACHE

Arkansas 
Greg Crain, FACHE

California—Northern & Central
Philip Chuang, PhD, FACHE

Connecticut
Kimberly A. Lumia, RN, FACHE

Florida—Eastern 
Neil A. Mangus, FACHE

Illinois—Central & Southern
Nicole Radford, FACHE

Illinois—Metropolitan Chicago
Georgia Casciato, FACHE

Indiana
Chad Dilley, FACHE

Iowa
Samuel T. Schone, FACHE

Kentucky
John J. Murrell, FACHE

Maine
Tyson J. Thornton, PharmD, FACHE

New York—Metropolitan New York
Paul D. Vitale, FACHE

Rhode Island
Mark S. Johnson, FACHE

South Dakota
Mark Longacre, FACHE

Texas—Central & South
Cristian H. Lieneck, PhD, FACHE

Veterans Affairs
Alfred A. Montoya Jr., FACHE

West Virginia & Western Virginia
Kristi M. Snyder, FACHE

We’ve recently received an increased volume of inquiries regarding FACHE® recertification. We recognize our leaders are balancing numerous priorities and want to ensure we keep Fellow benefits available during this critical time. We are extending the recertification deadline for the 2020 and 2021 classes to April 30. This will allow Fellows to earn ACHE Face-to-Face Education credits toward recertification at the 2022 Congress on Healthcare Leadership and the Virtual Leadership Symposium.

Registration is open for the 2022 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, March 28–31. Featured faculty for the 2022 Congress includes:

• Jon Meacham—Opening Session: Parker B. Francis Distinguished Lecture on Monday, March 28.
• Ashish K. Jha, MD—Arthur C. Bachmeyer Memorial Address on Monday, March 28.
• Nancy Snyderman, MD—Malcolm T. MacEachern Memorial Address on Tuesday, March 29.
• Hakeem M. Oluseyi, PhD—Leon I. Gintzig Commemorative Address on Wednesday, March 30.

As a developing leader in an industry experiencing fast-paced and disruptive changes, the ability to lead effectively has never been more critical nor more marketable. Today’s leading healthcare organizations require the talent and skills of strong leaders to influence others in realizing the vision of the organization. The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) – Wisconsin Chapter Leadership Development Program combines site visits, educational sessions, networking activities and events, coaching and mentorship to prepare emerging leaders with the skills to influence others and immediately impact their organizations. The program will enlighten the emerging leader about their leadership strengths and abilities, enhance their knowledge of the healthcare industry, and provide them with the opportunity to immediately apply what they have learned for personal and professional growth. In addition to the core curriculum, the program also offers the emerging leader the opportunity to interact with peers from across the state, receive coaching from successful early careerists and executives, increase exposure in the Wisconsin Chapter of ACHE, and the ability to network with Wisconsin’s leading healthcare executives.

Learn more and apply.

Dear ACHE-WI Members,

I write today to express my gratitude for allowing me to serve as your president during the 2021 calendar year. This past year certainly brought about its challenges, at the same time, it led our chapter to further innovate and offer valuable educational and networking events for our members, among them

• 1st Virtual Conference
• 11 Coffee with the College Podcast Episodes
• 16 Educational Webinars and networking events
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion efforts leading to the support of establishing NALHE & NAHSE Chapters
• 9 LDP Program graduates
• 11 members obtained their FACHE status
• 189  participants in our Career Development Academy Series

As we look forward into 2022 I am thrilled to introduce Christina Orr and Aaron Budd, long time colleagues and friends as your new ACHE-WI President and President-Elect, respectively. I also thank Teresa Lindfors for continuing as our Chapter Treasurer. Thank you to all of our ACHE-WI 2021 Board Members for volunteering your time, talent, and expertise to serve leaders across our state! The chapter is poised for continued success!

I truly cannot believe that my time as president has come to an end– I’ve spent 9+ years on the Board of ACHE-WI and loved every minute of it. I am looking forward to continuing to contribute to the chapter through committees and as your immediately past president.

It’s been a great privilege.

I wish everyone a year full of hope and prosperity!

Alexandra Urrutia-Comas, MHSA, FACHE
Vice President, Operations

Aurora Sinai Medical Center
Aurora Health Care – Greater Milwaukee

In our last episode, we discussed how a supervisor can directly impact employee wellness in times of stress by allowing time away from duties or by being a listening ear.  This month we scale up and discuss how organizational leaders can prepare their enterprise for the unexpected.  In this episode, we chat with Ted Uczen, former President and CEO of FEI Behavioral Health, a workforce resilience company that partners with organizations to protect and enhance workforce effectiveness and organizational resiliency.  Ted explains how organizations should have a “People Plan,” similar to an Emergency Preparedness Plan, to be ready for when “life happens” to employees.  Employees experience life events every day and while Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) can guide staff to therapy services, EAP should be tapped for much more.  Ted makes it clear that EAP goes beyond post-trauma counseling; it’s about managing through the little things and providing meaningful education and training.  Listeners can use Ted’s tips to improve long-term resiliency and effectiveness of employees through daily support.  Ted suggests we slow down and “create the time to think about what’s next.”  We hope you enjoy!