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“Meet this moment.” It’s a phrase that for months Gov. Newsom has been uttering during his press conferences and regular COVID-19 updates. And while he has at times taken flack on social media for what may be considered by some to be overused, it’s safe to say that it’s a fitting phrase for this time.
Just like Californians have “met this moment” by social distancing, staying at home, wearing masks, etc., your hospitals have more than “met this moment” and will continue to do so in the months to come. And at the Hospital Council, it’s our job to support you in any way that we can.
At Friday’s Hospital Council board meeting, we’ll share in greater detail the work that has taken place over the past few months to engage and inform member hospitals throughout our vast service area to help you face the multitude of COVID-19 challenges head on.
You’ll hear about the work that Hospital Council, alongside CHA, has done to support your hospitals and the communities you serve, including:
- Testing
- Patient transfers
- Identification and mitigation of local and regional outbreaks
- Supply chain issues
- Personal protective equipment challenges
- Local, regional, state, and federal regulatory issues
- Internal and external messaging
And you’ll get a chance to learn more about how we proactively engaged hospital members through one-on-one and small group virtual meetings to provide information in real time to state and federal leaders.
We know the challenges your hospitals have faced have been many and, at times, unrelenting. At the same time, we know that COVID-19 isn’t all that’s on your plates these days. As summer gets into full swing, that means wildfire season is just around the corner. Our work with PG&E on public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) began in March and continues now on an almost daily basis. To date this work has included:
- Confirmation of hospitals within the PG&E electrical service territory
- Collection and classification of specific meter information from hospitals to inform hospital need and mitigation strategies for each facility
- Assessment, by hospital, of PSPS risk level and the appropriate mitigation strategy for each hospital facility (including locations likely to treat COVID-19 patients outside a main hospital)
- Inclusion of the Hospital Council in the first 2020 virtual PSPS full-scale exercises
Although neither Hospital Council nor PG&E can guarantee the power won’t ever go out, we can do everything possible to prepare our members for if and when that time comes.
While we can’t predict when or where a wildfire may start, and COVID’s trajectory remains unclear, you can count on us to be here for you and the patients you serve.
Quick update on endorsed business partners
You’ve probably seen our regular features on endorsed business partners. For those of you who aren’t aware, these are resources that members have asked for and business partners who have gone through a strict vetting process. Designed to make members’ lives easier, they also benefit the Hospital Council policy agenda by generating revenue that goes toward our local and regional advocacy efforts. If you haven’t done so yet, I’d encourage you to check them out and learn more. More on this week’s endorsed business partners can be found at the end of this newsletter, including information about webinars they’re offering and that you can refer to appropriate staff — one on physician recruitment and one on complying with new Conditions of Participation requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.