Sentara Marthamagazıne Jefferson SUMMER 2020
COVID-19
Sentara Martha Jefferson Steps Up to the Challenge
SPECIAL EDITION
PLUS: Healthcare Heroes Work Here Connecting with Patients Online | The Community Reaches Out
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
2020 SENTARA MARTHA JEFFERSON BOARD Carol Hurt | Chair
Bill Achenbach Lillian BeVier John Ligush, MD Lawrence Martin E. Ray Murphy Bernie Boone Michael Gentry Douglas Moyer
SENTARA MARTHA JEFFERSON ADMINISTRATORS
Jonathan S. Davis, MPH, FACHE President
Amy Black, DNP, RN, NEA-BC Vice President, Chief Operations Officer
Johnsa Morris, MHA, MBA, RN, NEA-BC Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive
Paul Tesoriere, MD Vice President of Medical Affairs
SENTARA MARTHA JEFFERSON MAGAZINE EDITORS
Jenn Downs Neil Mowbray CONTRIBUTORS
Karen Doss Bowman PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Shurtleff Sentara Martha Jefferson Staff
A Great Team Rises to the Challenge
W
ho could have imagined, back in the first two months of 2020, what the year would hold for us? None of us was aware of how abruptly and deeply our lives would be interrupted. Despite all that has happened over these past four and a half months, I believe our community has managed the pandemic as well as possible, coming together and supporting each other along the journey. As we continue to open up and regain a greater degree of normalcy following the shutdown, I want to assure the community that Sentara Martha Jefferson is still committed to living the Sentara Commitments—the first of which is that we ALWAYS commit to keep you safe. More than ever, our focus is on our compassionate care—the very character and pillar of our community hospital for more than a century of service. In spite of all the recent changes, those commitments have not wavered, and in many respects have been strengthened. Our team of physicians, nurses, clinicians and support staff have provided exemplary care and displayed remarkable courage and teamwork in meeting the challenges of the pandemic, from the earliest weeks until today. I could not be more proud of the Sentara Martha Jefferson team, and it is an honor to serve our community alongside so many talented team members. If you are familiar with our magazine, you will surely notice that this issue is much shorter than usual. Our focused work on safety, communication and planning surrounding COVID-19 has limited our efforts to provide additional content. In early March, as our team was ramping up efforts to meet the challenges of COVID-19, government and health officials established new travel restrictions and public health safety guidelines. In the midst of these changing circumstances, the task of producing interviews and photographs illustrating recent patient stories simply became impractical. With our “all hands on deck” response to the pandemic, we decided it would be more appropriate to produce a shorter summer special edition of the magazine providing a high-level overview of how Sentara Martha Jefferson has responded to the crisis. You will also read about how our local community has stood firm with us in our response to COVID-19. I want to express my deep appreciation for the many ways in which you have reached out to support us throughout this extraordinary time. I know that I speak for the entire Sentara Martha Jefferson team when I say thank you from the depths of our hearts for your donations of personal protective equipment, food and supplies; for your financial generosity to our Foundation’s Crisis Response Fund; and for all of your encouraging messages and prayers. Finally and most importantly, we stand firm with those in our community who denounce the brutal treatment of others. We are caregivers, and it is central to our Sentara Commitments that we always treat others with dignity and respect, and that we do whatever we can to ensure the safety of our patients, visitors and staff members. Those commitments work equally well in the broader community, and we all should commit to work together, speaking up when necessary, to achieve greater justice and harmony throughout our nation. Thank you, as always, for your continued trust and partnership. We are always here for you and your family’s healthcare needs. Warm regards,
DESIGN
Picante Creative Jonathan S. Davis, MPH, FACHE President, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital
Contents
SUMMER 2020
SPECIAL EDITION
President’s Letter Inside front cover Your Safety is Our No. 1 Priority 2 Healthcare Heroes Work Here 4 Meeting the COVID-19 Challenge Head-On 7 Virtual Visits: Connecting with Patients Online 10 7
Unmasked Affection: Community Shows Love and Support for Sentara Martha Jefferson 12 Philanthropy: Thank You! 15
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YOUR
SAFETY IS OUR
NO. 1 PRIORITY
hospital staff and the public—Sentara Martha Jefferson severely limited visitation in the hospital in the early weeks of the pandemic and encouraged people with suspected COVID-19 infection to avoid coming to the Emergency Department without first calling their primary care physician. In addition, nearly all nonelective medical and surgical procedures were suspended, and the vast majority of outpatient clinic visits were conducted online as virtual/telemedicine consults through computers or smartphones. With those early measures in mind, it's understandable that as restrictions are lifted and we transition back to our “new normal,” patients might have some hesitation about returning and seeking medical help in person. While we are all adjusting to these new circumstances, the most important message we want to convey to the community is this: Your safety is our top priority.
What We Are Doing to Keep You Safe
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he first of Sentara’s five commitments to patients, “ALWAYS keep you safe,” has been a guiding principle since the hospital opened in 1904, and continues to be a primary focus at Sentara Martha Jefferson during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the start of the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the
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Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the Virginia state government provided almost nonstop messaging relating to the virus. They encouraged everyone to stay home, limit close contact with others by maintaining social distancing of at least six feet, and avoid being in groups of more than 10 people. In keeping with these mandates—and to protect patients,
As we have continued to live with the pandemic, the hospital has relaxed its visitation policy somewhat, Sentara Martha Jefferson outpatient clinics are now providing more face-to-face appointments, and elective or nonessential surgeries and other procedures are again being offered—all in keeping with Gov. Northam’s recommendations for implementing a phased reopening of the commonwealth. Be assured that our hospital, Emergency Department and outpatient clinics are all open for business, and that it is safe to come in for care when you need our services. “Our community has done a great job with social distancing and flattening the curve,” says Paul Tesoriere, MD, FHM, FACP, vice president of medical affairs for Sentara Martha Jefferson. “We have hospital capacity and have fine-tuned our processes to function more normally and safely in the presence of COVID. The United States has seen a decline recently in patients presenting with heart attacks and strokes, and in cancer screenings. However, this decline doesn’t mean these conditions are disappearing—more likely is that patients are avoiding care. Ultimately,
Cleaning Protocols in Effect Our protocols for the healthcare setting meet or exceed national COVID-19 guidelines.
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We use CDC-recommended protocols for cleaning and managing everything from bathrooms, light fixtures and furniture to medical waste, laundry and food-service utensils.
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We use comprehensive, multistep checklists to clean patient rooms in all of our facilities between each visit and at the end of each day.
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Our detailed checklists ensure we are both aware of and diligently following our cleaning requirements, including how to sanitize high-touch areas and other surfaces, how to safely wear and remove personal protective equipment, and how to use our UV light disinfection technology.
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We routinely clean common areas and wipe down shared objects such as pens, doorknobs and chairs with EPA-approved cleaning supplies between each use.
this dangerous trend could prove to be as impactful as the COVID pandemic itself.” The Emergency Department (ED) is an essential part of Sentara Martha Jefferson’s patient services, and delaying treatment for any medical emergency— during a pandemic or not—is dangerous. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, you should come to the ED without delay. Medical emergencies requiring immediate attention in the ED include suspected heart attack or stroke, serious injuries, high fever, and other worsening or concerning symptoms. When you enter the ED, you can expect to be separated from others immediately, based on the likelihood of COVID-19 infection. You will be met by a staff member dressed in appropriate personal protective equipment, and you will be given a mask to wear, if you do not already have one. You will go through a screening process, and patients who have any suspicious symptoms will be kept separate from all others entering the ED for other medical reasons. To protect patients admitted for disease processes unrelated to COVID-19, we have implemented stringent safeguards within the hospital to reduce their risk of contracting the virus during hospitalization. Visitors to the hospital, as well as those with face-to-face appointments in our Sentara Medical Group clinics, can expect to undergo a screening process before being allowed to enter medical facilities. They also may be asked to wear a mask while they are in the building and to observe social distancing recommendations. In addition, we have made changes to our physical
environments to help ensure safety. Waiting rooms now contain fewer chairs, magazines and books have been removed, and ongoing cleaning of hightouch surfaces is taking place throughout the day as patients come and go. Staff members are following strict guidelines as well, practicing frequent hand-washing and wearing masks to protect patients, co-workers and themselves from the potential spread of the virus.
Safety is Everyone’s Primary Concern “We want to assure patients that it is safe to come to the doctor’s office,” says Bruce Clemons, MD, FACP, executive director of primary care services for the Sentara Blue Ridge Region. “Our staff and providers have made every effort to ensure the safety of patients while they’re in our facilities. We will continue to use virtual care, when appropriate, to decrease the number of people in an office at any given time. However, there are still going to be many patients who need to be seen in person, and we don’t want them to delay care due to concerns about safety.” Rest assured that Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital and the Sentara Medical Group remain firmly dedicated to the safety of patients, visitors and staff. We commit to ALWAYS keep you safe.
The latest information on the COVID-19 pandemic, including our latest visitation policy, can be found at sentara.com/safe.
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E R A C H T L HEA HERHOEerSe Work Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital honors all of our team members as “healthcare heroes”—the physicians, nurses and other clinicians on the front lines, as well as our housekeepers, food service staff, security officers, maintenance and facilities crews, and office staff. Every team member plays an important role in supporting the hospital and contributes to our success in fulfilling our Sentara mission of improving health every day. The team members highlighted here represent a mere fraction of our team, which has responded so courageously to the challenges posed by COVID-19. The hospital values and thanks each team member for faithfully carrying out their daily job responsibilities. Our team is Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital!
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Anita Thomas, RT Respiratory Care
Anita Thomas serves as a respiratory therapist, assisting patients with breathing problems, and also helps with Code Blue and Medical Response Team calls. “It isn’t about who gets the recognition—we’re all here taking care of patients. In spite of being in respiratory care for almost 40 years, at certain times I didn’t know if I had the emotional strength to handle this pandemic. As always, though, I’ve had the support and love of the Respiratory Care Department. We’re a team, and we have each others’ backs. Additionally, while Respiratory Care and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have always had a close working relationship, it has grown to a whole new level of cooperation during this crisis. We are truly one team now!”
Nicholas Brandt, MD Internal Medicine
Dr. Nicholas Brandt serves as a hospitalist taking care of Sentara Martha Jefferson inpatients. “As part of the patient care team, I’ve had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the expertise, creativity and problem-solving of physician colleagues, nurses, nursing assistants, pharmacists and therapists. Working side by side, the clinical team members have stepped up and embraced these challenges with real esprit de corps and a practical can-do attitude to cope with rapidly changing—and sometimes uncertain—information. Such expertise and spirit were already there, but they have come to the forefront in particular during this pandemic. I’m proud to work alongside them every day, and I’m grateful to be a part of Sentara Martha Jefferson. One parting bit of advice: Wash your hands frequently. Wear a mask. I want everyone to be safe!”
Frank Signoretti, RN, BSN, and Vicki Signoretti, RN, BSN Admit/Recovery
Frank and Vicki Signoretti, who are husband and wife, redeployed from daytime surgery to the ICU to care for COVID patients. Frank: “The intensive care staff was impressive in how they adapted to the new patient-type load and care practices, even while working for optimal and safe patient care. Our nurse managers really did an excellent job handling the staffing changes and making sure staff were up to date with the day-to-day changes. I was also very impressed with Sentara Martha Jefferson’s efforts to keep employees working by placing them in areas that were in need of extra personnel. As a bonus for me, it has been a blast working alongside my wife. We’ve been nurses for 30 years and have seen several healthcare crises in the past.” Vicki: “One of the most rewarding things for me has been seeing COVID patients improve to the point where they could move out of the ICU to other units or to rehab. Many of them were in the hospital for several weeks, with tenuous conditions at times, but the care teams were so focused and skilled in helping our patients have the best possible outcomes. I also want to thank the hospital administration for working so hard to provide a safe, controlled environment—not only for our patients, but also for our staff. They adapted to and communicated the changes we were undergoing, as well as the rationale for those changes, very well. That built a strong sense of trust with staff.”
Meghan Marino, OTR/L Inpatient Rehab Services
Meghan Marino is an occupational therapist (OT) who, at the beginning of the pandemic, volunteered to be the primary OT seeing COVID-positive patients. “The pandemic has made me focus on the things that are really important, and to reconsider what is and is not necessary in my own life. We have an amazing team at Sentara Martha Jefferson, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it. As difficult as this pandemic has been, it has highlighted the strengths of our team. I would like to express a sincere thank-you to all the individuals and businesses that have given time and resources to support healthcare workers during this pandemic. Whether it’s an oil change or a lunch, it really means a lot to know we have the community’s support.”
Jordan Yancey, MA Blue Ridge Internal Medicine
Jordan Yancey works in an outpatient clinic, where she assisted patients with making telehealth visits via the Sentara app, among other responsibilities. “One of the most rewarding things about working through this pandemic has been our organization’s support, creativity, preparedness and teamwork. We want our patients to know that we’re here for them, and that we’re all in this together. When we were limiting face-to-face appointments, we really missed seeing our patients in person. We’re confident that our new workflows and processes will enable us to continue delivering the best care possible. I want to thank my team for their support, guidance and continued efforts to provide the best health care during this pandemic. We have all learned a great deal from this experience, and I’m certain we will get through this.”
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Crystal Chu, RN Cancer Center
Ashley Morefield, MEd Health & Wellness
Ashley Morefield is an exercise physiologist in cardiac rehab who initially worked as a door screener and assisted with special situations like blood-drive distancing. Later she managed the Meal Train, accepting, sorting and distributing the many meal deliveries from generous community partners. “I’m really impressed by the abundance of community support and engagement we’ve seen. My team members and I have been humbled by the many generous donations from local restaurants, community donors and the World Central Kitchen. Their generosity and kindness have encouraged us to keep going.”
Patricia Tyndale, RD
Ashley Kindig
Outpatient Diabetes and Nutrition Education
Information Technology
Patricia Tyndale is a registered clinical dietitian. “As an advocate for healthy eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I believe self-care is a large part of each person’s well-being. Working through this pandemic has shown me how many community members benefit from my expertise as a dietitian, and how much they appreciate being able to use telehealth to contact me from the comfort of their homes.”
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Crystal Chu is a team coordinator for Sentara Martha Jefferson’s Cancer Center. She had previously worked as a nurse on Cornell 2. As soon as the staffing implications of the COVID pandemic started to become clear, Crystal transitioned back to Cornell 2, where she worked full time on night shift for three weeks to help support the inpatient nursing team. “Some of the most meaningful moments for me were being at a patient’s bedside during the time when visitors were not allowed in the hospital. It was really difficult for them to be in their rooms alone—especially for those with longer hospital stays. The moments when I was able to sit and laugh with patients, or connect them over the phone with a family member to ease their anxiety, were small victories that gave me a sense that I was doing exactly what I was called to do.”
Ashley Kindig is technical support specialist in the Information Technology Department. “I’m proud to be a member of the Sentara Martha Jefferson family, and I feel blessed to have them by my side during these challenging times. The hospital staff have been selfless, brave and fully committed, despite the uncertainty created by this virus. It has been very rewarding to serve with this amazing team.”
MEETING THE
COVID-19 Challenge
HEAD-ON Like many organizations, hospitals regularly create detailed contingency plans for various crisis scenarios—and then hope they never have to use them. If a crisis does occur, however, such plans enable decision-makers to meet challenges more effectively, rather than inventing responses “on the fly.”
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital has multiple emergency plans in place to help staff respond to a variety of crisis situations, including masscasualty events, severe weather, information systems downtime and other disruptive events. In addition, hospital physicians, nurses and other clinicians are well trained in how to handle infectious and dangerous pathogens. So in many respects, Sentara Martha Jefferson wasn’t caught off guard by the onset of the novel coronavirus. The challenge presented by COVID-19, instead, primarily was due to the fact that there were so many unknowns about the virus as it first struck.
Early Preparations Working with the Sentara system’s crisis-management team, Sentara Martha Jefferson began putting processes and infrastructure in place to address the pandemic, even as the public began hearing initial media reports about the coronavirus. One of the first things administrators did was assemble
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an incident-command team to guide the hospital’s response, in accordance with guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). Before the first COVID patients presented to the Sentara Martha Jefferson, an early priority for planners was to set up logistics to handle COVID-positive and COVID-suspected patients, in order to keep them separated from non-COVID patients. A second major emphasis was preparing for a predicted surge in COVID patients, which, thankfully, has not materialized as of this writing. All Sentara hospitals, including Sentara Martha Jefferson, quickly established dedicated respiratory units for inpatients who tested “presumptive positive” for COVID-19, and for those awaiting test results. High-risk or confirmed COVID-19 patients whose symptoms required hospitalization were cared for in individual patient rooms within these dedicated respiratory units.
Transitioning Roles The Sentara Martha Jefferson nursing team began planning immediately to cross-train and credential nurses to work in COVID units, or to work in other units where they were not normally assigned. With her team, Mina Ford, MSN, RN-BC, AOCNS, who oversees nursing
education and life support for Sentara Martha Jefferson, developed a redeployment plan for clinical staff—including registered nurses, nursing care partners, administrative assistants and runners—that became the foundation for a Sentara systemwide redeployment plan. “We trained more than 200 staff members—many of them from outpatient practices, rehab services and the procedural areas, where patient volumes were decreasing—so they could work in or provide additional support to those units that were seeing an increase in patient volumes,” says Ford. Ford’s team also developed a revised process in the event that COVID-positive and COVID-suspected patients experienced a stoppage in breathing and cardiac function. When this condition occurs, a call goes out to emergency, respiratory and other hospital staff to respond with life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and other interventions.
Other Notable Changes The limited availability of COVID-19 testing has been a concern for caregivers and others from the beginning of the pandemic. To help address this issue, Sentara Norfolk General began conducting in-house testing in its labs early on. Not long after, Sentara Martha Jefferson also began providing in-house COVID-19 testing. “The expanded testing allowed us to speed up turnarounds on our inpatient and Emergency Department tests, which was a huge help,” says Jeff Willy, director of laboratory services for the Sentara Blue Ridge Region. Personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies have been managed
carefully during the COVID-19 crisis. Although there was a nationwide shortage of PPE, especially in the first weeks of the pandemic, Sentara hospitals were able to meet staff needs through conservation, sanitization and reuse programs, as well as thanks to the many generous donations from providers and others in the community. After the U.S. Surgeon General recommended postponement of all elective surgeries and other procedures—to protect patients and staff, and to help preserve precious PPE—Sentara Martha Jefferson quickly complied. Following directives of the CDC, the VDH, Sentara Healthcare and Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, Sentara Martha Jefferson also began to restrict visitation in the hospital, with only a few exceptions. In addition, many Sentara Martha Jefferson office staff team members began working from home, and a majority of meetings since have taken place by conference or video calls.
Keeping Spirits Up Open and frequent communication has been a key factor in the hospital’s successful response to COVID-19. For the first two months, hospital president Jonathan Davis sent daily emails to all staff to provide the latest information about a multitude of topics—including facts about the virus and how to treat patients; tips on how to protect the public, patients and staff from getting COVID; and updated policies and procedures. Similar communications also have come several times a week from the Sentara corporate incident-command team in Hampton Roads. Many of these messages contain words of encouragement and pointers on how to cope with the stress of the pandemic. Hospital chaplains have put their expertise to work as well, stepping up to address the emotional and spiritual needs of both staff and patients. A great sense of urgency—and the recognition that “we are all in this together, and together we will get through it”— have helped Sentara Martha Jefferson staff members handle the immense anxieties of their work. As President Davis and others have reminded staff on multiple occasions: “We are in a marathon, not a sprint.” Even as the urgency that accompanied the early weeks of the pandemic has lessened and society reopens incrementally, the Sentara Martha Jefferson team remains vigilant, continuing to hone plans for handling any future spikes in COVID patients, and providing compassionate and effective care to our patients and their families. sentara.com
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VIRTUAL Connecting VISITS: with Patients Online s COVID-19 began to show up in Charlottesville and surrounding counties, the Sentara Medical Group responded by shifting most outpatient clinic visits to an online platform. During these “virtual visits,” which were implemented to reduce the risk of spreading the virus among patients and staff, and to conserve the limited supply of available personal protective equipment, patients can receive the care they need from the convenience and comfort of home. Instead of traveling to the doctor’s office and sitting in a waiting room prior to an appointment, the patient simply checks in online at the designated appointment time and connects to the healthcare provider remotely. Although the Medical Group had been offering some virtual visits before the pandemic began, the number of virtual visits skyrocketed when the government issued coronavirus-related social distancing and stay-at-home policies. In fact, by the first week of April, 86% of all Medical Group appointments were taking place virtually. “The learning curve was steep, but we were up to speed with providing care virtually within a week,” says Joseph Evans, MD, director of medical operations for the Sentara Medical Group. “I have enjoyed the opportunity to connect with patients in their home environments. Now, as we transition back to greater numbers of faceto-face office visits, we are still offering virtual options to help manage patient needs more conveniently.” Virtual visits have been taking place in both primary care and specialty practices, according to Dr. Evans. Most virtual visits occur via the Sentara app, which patients can download to a computer, tablet or smartphone. The app enables patients to check in with their provider, wait in a “virtual waiting room,” and connect by video and audio linkup. Once connected, a nurse or other medical provider will gather some information before the patient speaks with the doctor. During the virtual visit, providers
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can take a patient’s medical history, examine the patient visually (if the patient has video capability), provide medical advice and, if appropriate, prescribe medications or offer other treatment recommendations. “In preparation for opening our offices for more in-person care, we have taken a lot of precautions to keep our patients and staff safe,” Dr. Evans adds. “For example, we removed a lot of nonessential items from the patient care areas to enable more thorough cleaning of surfaces. We also have tried to minimize—and sometimes eliminate— time spent in the waiting rooms, and we screen all patients and staff for fever and other COVID-19 symptoms before they enter the office.”
Virtual Family Hospital Visits Ordinarily, when a patient goes to the hospital, family members and friends are free to visit. Family and friends often play an important role in a hospitalized patient’s care, helping caregivers get to know their patients better and speaking for patients when they cannot speak for themselves. During the COVID-19 pandemic, however, hospital visitation has been challenging.
If you need to make an appointment with your Sentara Medical Group provider, please call your provider’s office and discuss whether an in-person or virtual visit would be more appropriate. Office staff will be happy to answer your questions and determine the best course of care to keep you safe.
During those first several weeks when the hospital severely limited visitation to help prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Sentara Martha Jefferson nurses, the hospital chaplains and other staff members became very resourceful at finding ways to link patients digitally with family members and friends. Using funding generously provided by community donors to the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund, the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation purchased a number of iPads that nurses, chaplains and our Caregiver Center staff could use, along with the Google Duo app, to set up virtual video visits for patients and their families. “COVID-19 has put distance between us, our patients and their families, affecting the way we usually provide emotional and spiritual support,” says Tammy James, RN, MDiv, BCC, chaplain for Sentara Martha Jefferson and the hospital’s Cancer Center. “So we started relying on technology, including bedside telephones, videoconfer-
encing, mobile phones and iPads, to help patients stay in touch with their families and loved ones.” James notes that it grieves nurses and other caregivers to hear patients express their feelings of isolation, loneliness and fear when their loved ones can’t be with them at the hospital. “In some cases during the pandemic, couples who haven’t spent a night apart during 50 years of marriage have had to endure long periods of separation,” says James. “Our caregivers—and especially the nurses and patient care assistants— have experienced great sadness witnessing the isolation and loneliness of our patients.” For that reason, nurses have asked the chaplains for prayers to read to their patients to offer hope and strength, or solicited suggestions for music to play for patients to provide comfort and connect them with their faith traditions. “Our nurses are looking beyond the physical needs of their patients in these challenging times and attending to the anxiety and fears so many of their patients share,” says James. Although nothing completely replaces the comfort that can be provided by a personal visit, enabling patients and families to see each other via iPads can have a much greater impact than is possible with a standard telephone call, says Abby Denby, MSN, RN, NE-BC, director of patient care services. The nursing staff also used the iPads to provide discharge instructions and education to family or friends before patients left the hospital, allowing everyone to be better prepared for the patient’s return home. “Being in the hospital can be scary for patients—particularly if it’s a new experience for them and they cannot have family members or friends visit,” says Denby. “But thanks to the generosity of our community and its support of the Martha Jefferson Foundation, our nursing staff has been able to maintain our Caring Tradition in ways that would not have been possible otherwise.” sentara.com
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PHILANTHROPY
Affection
UNMASKED
Community Shows Love and Support for Sentara Martha Jefferson he global fight against COVID-19 has ushered in an era of uncertainty and anxiety—particularly for frontline healthcare providers and staff, as well as their families. For the team at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, however, large and small acts of kindness from the Charlottesville community and beyond have helped to ease the emotional and mental stress that have become a daily reality. From providing hot meals, 3D-printed personal protective equipment and hand-sewn face masks to sending thank-you notes and making generous donations of life-saving equipment, the broader community has rallied to wrap its collective arms around the hospital team. “These unprecedented times have changed the way we all live and work, and the same is true tenfold for our frontline healthcare workers,” says Sentara Martha Jefferson President Jonathan S. Davis. “The support and encouragement we have received from the community helped us respond rapidly. They have lifted our spirits
and strengthened our fortitude in incredible ways.” Many of these gestures have come through philanthropic support, both from in-kind gifts and cash contributions. The Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation Emergency Response Fund, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, already has raised more than $250,000, even as fundraising efforts continue to advance. The fund is providing dedicated resources to help the hospital meet sudden and rapidly evolving healthcare needs during the current crisis, including muchneeded supplies, staff resiliency programs, and community educational and outreach initiatives. The Emergency Response Fund is an important part of enabling the hospital to adapt to its “new normal,” which includes treating all patients in a world that includes COVID-19, while also making sure the hospital is prepared for other crises that may arise in the future.
All Aboard the Meal Train
Beth Fraser, member, The
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Women's Committee
As the Sentara Martha Jefferson team puts in long hours to care for patients, the community has stepped in to keep them nourished. In the early days of the pandemic, the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation started a meal train, through which thousands of meals have since been donated and brought to every department in the hospital, including
day and night shifts. Private citizens, as well as numerous area restaurants and catering services, have brought in meals and snacks, contributing to the well-being and resiliency of the hospital staff. “Our staff has been under tremendous stress, and the meal train was a small way in which we were able give back and let them know that we’re thinking about them and that the community is here for them,” says Kimberly Skelly, executive director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation. World Central Kitchen (WCK), an international relief organization, became involved in the meal train effort early on, pledging to provide 125 meals each day from late March through May. Champion Hospitality Group’s Brasserie Saison partnered with WCK to coordinate, prepare and deliver the meals.
“Our primary motivation is to show our gratitude for the work of healthcare workers and frontline responders, and this is a way we can support the important work they’re doing,” says Hunter Smith, president and CEO of Champion Hospitality Group. “But this also provides stability to my restaurant and other local businesses that were—and maybe still are— closed due to the pandemic. We’ve been able to support the hospital while keeping our lights on and the restaurant operating.”
Protecting Staff and Vulnerable Patients To amass and secure an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), the hospital established and managed a dedicated PPE repository, which involves the careful distribution of PPE, adjusting PPE best practices, and adopting new procedures for cleaning and recycling PPE.
Community support of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund has allowed the Foundation to purchase three LUCAS devices—one for the freestanding Emergency Department (ED), one for the main ED and one for the Intensive Care Unit. These machines allow first responders to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on coding patients in an era when healthcare workers cannot manually perform CPR on potential COVID-19 patients. On the first day the LUCAS device was introduced to the ED, the team used it to save the life of a man experiencing a heart attack. Companies with 3D-printing capabilities, including Vistaprint and Klockner Pentaplast, stepped forward with donations of more than 1,000 face shields and headbands—PPE items that were highly scarce during the peak of the pandemic. Precious hand sanitizer also was donated, including a 200-liter drum from the Virginia Distillery Co. in Lovingston. The Foundation also spearheaded a drive to encourage community members to donate homemade face masks. Nearly 1,000 hand-sewn face masks have been contributed so far, with distribution of these masks prioritized to patients at the Phillips Cancer Center. This initiative not only preserved PPE for staff, but also helped to protect immunocompromised cancer patients, who come in frequently for treatment. Members of The Women’s Committee (TWC) mjhfoundation.org
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Congratulations, Class of 2020! In May, Sentara Martha Jefferson staged a socially distanced parade to celebrate the hospital staff who earned a diploma in 2020. Through the Haden Nursing Institute, the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation provides scholarships that enable our nursing team to return to school and earn four-year college degrees. More than 185 nurses have received scholarships through the initiative so far, advancing their careers and putting Sentara Martha Jefferson closer to the goal of having 80% of our registered nurses obtain a baccalaureate-level education. We salute these dedicated healthcare heroes and admire their determination and commitment. Congratulations, and well done!
of the Foundation played a significant role in this effort, including TWC board member Beth Fraser, who made more than 125 masks herself. “The Women’s Committee has always had the mission of contributing wherever help is needed most—and when this need arose, we were ready to do something,” Fraser says. “Above all, the Cancer Center prioritizes the safety and protection of its patients, both when they are at the hospital and in the community. To be able to help these patients is a godsend because it keeps me busy and purposeful at the same time.”
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Expressions of Gratitude For Courtney Lambert, MSN, RN, NE-BC, director of Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Emergency Services, the countless expressions of gratitude from community members have helped her and her team get through tough times. She recalls one elderly gentleman who sat outside the hospital in a lawn chair for several days, greeting staff with signs expressing sentiments such as, “You’re my heroes” and “Thank you for all you do.” The Independence Retirement Community held a parade in the hospital parking lot, during which residents drove
by in decorated cars. Lambert recalls one resident, a retired nurse, who rode through in a convertible Volkswagen Beetle full of balloons. “They were tooting their horns and clapping and yelling, so it was really a lot of fun,” she remembers. Community members also sent more than 100 encouraging messages through the Foundation’s online portal, posted signs around the campus and even played music at the hospital entrance. Children from several area counties sent in drawings and messages of hope and thanks. “The Sentara Martha Jefferson Caring Tradition, our hallmark of care, is not a one-way street— we’ve really seen that during the COVID-19 pandemic response,” Lambert says. “We’ve always focused on providing quality care to the community, and over the past few months the community has shown that they really care about us, too. The people in Charlottesville and beyond have offered acts of kindness that remind us why we do what we do.”
PHILANTHROPY
You are our heroes!
— Demi Runkle, The Women’s Committee, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital
Thank you! The Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation thanks the many generous members of our community who have stepped forward with gifts in support of our COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. Their philanthropic support, including donations of food and personal protective equipment (PPE), have advanced the hospital’s emergency response, while promoting staff resiliency and community outreach. You are healthcare heroes, too!
Thank you for your bravery, selflessness and tireless efforts! You are true heroes! Stay safe and healthy! — The Edmonds Family
Recognizing Respiratory Therapy Excellence Often-overlooked members of the healthcare delivery team, respiratory therapists are fundamental to the most basic of life-sustaining functions: breathing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Sentara Martha Jefferson respiratory therapists have worked especially closely with medical teams to care for patients who are unable to breathe independently.
Lindsay Marshall, founder, Marshall Make A Difference Fund
Foundation Board member and philanthropist Lindsay Marshall credits members of the Sentara Martha Jefferson Respiratory Therapy team for saving her life in 2017, when she suffered from viral pneumonia. Hospitalized for more than a month, Lindsay developed close relationships with the hospital’s respiratory therapists, physicians and nurses. Unable to function independently, she came to appreciate on a completely new level the excellent, compassionate care provided to her and her family. In gratitude, Lindsay and her family established the Marshall Make A Difference Fund at Sentara Martha Jefferson to provide annual education awards to members of the Respiratory Therapy team. For their exceptional efforts daily and during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s 2020 award recipients are Angela Hopple and Daniel Taylor. Marshall and her family hope these hometown heroes know they are appreciated by the community.
To all the pandemic frontline workers, You have my deepest appreciation. Never doubt that who you are makes a difference. With gratitude and prayers for all, — Alicia Wheeler
Sentara Martha Jefferson respiratory therapists Angela Hopple and Daniel Taylor, the 2020 Marshall Make A Difference Award recipients
mjhfoundation.org
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Sentara Martha Jefferson Neurosurgeons Innovate to Save Lives When the pandemic first began, acquiring adequate supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) became a top priority for hospitals across the country. With supply lines stretched thin and concerns that Sentara Martha Jefferson would be unable to provide enough PPE in the event of a COVID-19 surge, neurosurgeon Jacob Young, MD, began researching new ways to protect frontline responders. Together with two of his fellow neurosurgeons, Osmond Wu, MD, and David Slottje, MD, the threesome met in Dr. Young’s garage after hours to devise a plan to convert a full-face swimming snorkel mask into PPE. The result: a combination face mask and face/eye shield. “I was inspired by the story of an Italian doctor who, during that country’s COVID-19 surge, converted a snorkel mask to PPE using a 3D printer to mount a viral/bacterial ventilator filter onto the mask,” explains Dr. Young. “Although 3D printing makes beautiful products, the process requires exact measurements— which would be impractical in this case, since every snorkel mask model is different. We had the idea to use moldable thermoplastic and heat-shrink the parts to fit instead, so that virtually any model of snorkel mask could be used.” Dr. Young gives credit for the heat-shrink idea to Graeme Jenvey, husband of Sentara Martha Jefferson Emergency Department nurse Elizabeth Jenvey. Following their strategy sessions, the team engaged Chip Earl at Dive Connections, who donated snorkel masks for additional experimentation. While the masks never went into inpatient use, the team’s innovative leadership has been exceptional, and a great example of the dedication of Sentara Martha Jefferson physicians and staff. Keep up the great work!
The COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Private support is essential to strengthening Sentara Martha Jefferson and helping to establish new processes and practices of care moving forward. To support this effort, the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation established the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to ensure our margin of excellence and advance the Sentara Martha Jefferson Caring Tradition for which we are known. Please consider a gift to the fund, which will be used to: 1. Accelerate the acquisition of innovative, lifesaving equipment. A recent example was the purchase of three Lucas devices, which support hands-free cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at a time when emergency responders cannot perform CPR on potential COVID-19 patients. 2. Provide stress reduction and wellness programming/services for healthcare staff, as well as support for family caregivers. Such services include facilitating conversations about complex and distressing healthcare cases, underwriting fresh produce deliveries for staff, and purchasing iPads and virtual communication tools for use with patients who are isolated from their family members. 3. Advance communitywide testing, with specific focus on areas of high risk. For example, health officials from Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital and the UVA Health System teamed up in May to provide free COVID-19 tests in Charlottesville, with a focus on communities of color. Health officials administered 308 tests, 25 of which came back positive for COVID-19. As always, 100% of every gift stays here locally. Many thanks to our generous supporters. Visit mjhfoundation.org to see the Honor Roll of Donors to this special fund.
Ways to give:
From left, Dr. Jacob Young, Dr. Osmond Wu and Dr. David Slottje
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SUMMER 2020
Online: www.mjhfoundation.org By check: Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, 500 Martha Jefferson Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22911 By phone: 434-654-8258
What does tomorrow hold for the community we love? The world is an uncertain place, but you can be certain that Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital will be here for you and your family when you need us. But we can’t do it alone. Please consider a gift to support our hometown healthcare heroes and continue strengthening the Martha Jefferson Caring Tradition for generations to come.
Make a gift for today Private support makes possible: n
educational scholarships for nurses and clinical staff to advance their careers and improve patient outcomes,
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free breast cancer screenings clinics for community members,
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emotional support and guidance for family members coping with a loved one’s illness, and
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innovations to rapidly respond to evolving situations in times of crisis and advance responsive healthcare best practices
100% of every gift to the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation supports the health and wellness of our local community.
Make a gift for tomorrow Many of our donors choose to make a gift to Martha Jefferson Hospital through their will, trust, retirement accounts, or life insurance policy. Gifts like these help strengthen the hospital’s endowments and core philanthropic programs, while also creating opportunities for donors to leave a lasting legacy.
For more information about making a gift to the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation, contact us:
Call: 434-654-8258 or email: mjh_foundation@sentara.com or visit our website: mjhfoundation.org
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You’re Safe at Sentara
Screening Everyone Who Enters Our Facilities
Masking Everyone Who Enters Our Facilities
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for All Clinicians & Staff
Ongoing, Robust Cleaning for Infection Prevention
Virtual Care Appointments When Appropriate
Ensuring Social Distancing
Limiting Visitors
COVID-19 Testing Before Some Tests & Procedures
In times of uncertainty, trust that Sentara is here to keep our community safe. We are following strict guidelines and have implemented extra safety measures to ensure you are safe while receiving the care you need. When it comes to your health, don’t wait to seek care. You’re safe at Sentara.
To learn more about the precautions Sentara is taking to keep you safe, visit sentara.com/safe.