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A message from our President

Here Is a Salute to ALL of Our Healthcare Heroes

Reading as much as I do about the current COVID may not have been enough, but, even today, we do not have the testing available to
situation, I am pleased to see healthcare workers get- screen all employees and visitors every day. Until very recently, and then only in some
ting the praise they deserve. While the current focus areas, might you get a test if you are asymptomatic.
seems to be on where the COVID treatment is being The nurses and staff working for SNFs have done remarkable jobs in keeping their
rendered, we need to remember that there is a contin- very vulnerable population safe. Think about it, a SNF is a community where com-
uum of healthcare providers caring for patients and I munity services are delivered in a large group fashion such as communal eating, activ-
want to talk today about the staff in our skilled nursing ities, and therapy. Because sick patients at SNFs are usually moved to hospitals, few
facilities (SNFs). rooms are identified exclusively for isolating patients. And, patients residing in SNFs
Lately, SNFs seem to be an easy target. While we are exactly those for which COVID-19 exacts the ultimate payment … death.
have seen failure after failure starting with the WHO, Three cheers for this group of healthcare providers who have laid it on the line for
other countries, our own federal government, state their patients. Still plagued by the interrupted supply of needed PPE, these unselfish
government, and our own healthcare systems, we are workers have, like the rest of us, adapted and innovated to provide a safe environ-
seemingly holding SNFs to a higher standard of care. ment.
Jaime Caldwell
Let’s be honest, everyone was caught flatfooted on Did we know that PPEs would be a prescription that would be written requiring all
this one! Supply chain failures caused by the shutdown of a significant manufacturing SNF staff to wear them? Absolutely not! Even with that challenge, did they adapt and
part of China and other countries where PPEs are manufactured caused healthcare identify alternatives to reduce the transmission of the virus in their facilities, they sure
entities to scramble to obtain PPEs; even though they already had contracts with did.
healthcare supply firms to ensure no such shortages every occur. Who knew? This has been a tremendous learning experience for this segment of healthcare,
I checked and found that there are almost as many SNF beds as there are licensed indeed all of healthcare, and really crystalizes for many what the future holds in store
hospitals beds in our three counties. SNFs are not hospitals and are not held to a hos- for SNFs and others. We will see improvements advocated and regulated that will
pital standard. We were all learning as the pandemic grew and it took a while for the have an impact on the emergence of future viruses and all of this will come with a
healthcare system to realize that we needed to be more proactive in screening our staff cost.
and visitors for the presence of the virus. Who knew that you could have someone Healthcare heroes can be found almost anywhere. Let’s not forget the ones caring
display almost no symptoms and yet test positive for the virus! Taking temperatures for our most vulnerable population.

6 May 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News