by
Gus Iversen, Editor in Chief | June 28, 2021
From the June 2021 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
The Annenberg Health Sciences Building is home to Eisenhower Health's Graduate Medication Education program, which includes residencies in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Emergency Medicine as well as Sports Medicine, Pulmonary Medicine and Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Programs and medical school clerkships
HCB News: How is Eisenhower experiencing and responding to COVID-19?
MM: Like health systems around the world, Eisenhower had to adapt to numerous changes over the course of the last fourteen months. From adapting our inpatient floors to create units exclusively for patients with COVID-19, to establishing a COVID-19 testing site for community, to getting a vaccine clinic up and running, Eisenhower has tried to respond to community need as efficiently as possible throughout the pandemic. We are currently fortunate to have a significantly smaller number of patients with the disease and we hope we will not see another spike as more people in the community are vaccinated. It has been exhausting for all of us — personally and professionally — and yet, I saw nothing but dedication and incredible morale from our teams. Our staff are passionate about healing and saving lives and it was heartbreaking for them to see patients die at about double the rate of what we see annually in non-pandemic times. Our nurses not only offered clinical care but also sat with patients to offer comfort because loved ones couldn’t visit them. I couldn’t be more proud or grateful for what all of our staff, physicians and volunteers have done during the pandemic. They made it possible for us to continue giving the level of care our community expects — even during such challenging circumstances. Our nonclinical staff gave tremendous support, ensuring the day-to-day work could continue. Staff continued work on our new Family Birth Center, which is awaiting licensing now, building the IT infrastructure, planning and training. Expansion of our orthopedic center moved forward. Everyone understood their roles in addressing the pandemic and in continuing to look ahead for what the new normal would eventually bring.
HCB News: Do you see healthcare delivery permanently changing in any fundamental ways due to the pandemic?
