HJNO Jul/Aug 2020

16 JUL / AUG 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS Q&A represents the lion’s share of our business. It provides flexibility for our providers, and in particular, has helped increase the capacity of our behavioral health services, which are needed now more than ever. Have you found that one modality works better than another with the patient base you serve? Patients who are tech savvy love telemedi- cine, and we work closely with non-techies on adapting to it. Thankfully, as we move past various stages of opening our city, patients who prefer in-person appointments are be- ginning to return to our health centers. Do you see telemedicine replacing office calls post-pandemic? I don’t see telemedicine totally replacing office visits in this market post-pandemic. The fact that our health centers are easily accessible within the communities we serve makes it easy for patients to visit us. Fur- thermore, post-pandemic, some of the new practices we’ve all adopted, such as social distancing, may wane somewhat, and in- crease people’s confidence with visiting public spaces. What is your leadership philosophy, and how have you applied it throughout the pandemic? I take pride in practicing an adaptive leadership style, which involves adjusting to what is needed and desired by our com- munity and staff, and implementing goals and a keen focus on finding the resources to support these needs and desires. This method inspires me to remain flexible, and to be pro- active in forecasting potential opportunities and challenges. How have you addressed the physical and emotional well-being of your staff? Sister Bonnie Hoffman, our vice president for mission integration, regularly hosts ses- sions led by our behavioral health specialists to care for the emotional well-being of our staff. This also includes fun activities such as virtual gatherings after-hours. Additionally, some staff members have taken advantage of programs offered by Ascension, which pro- vide financial support to address some of the challenges they experience as a result of the pandemic. We’re currently raising funds for our internal Stanislaus Fund to provide ad- ditional financial support for our staff. Given the various unknowns of the CO- VID-19 virus, our staff receives regular up- dates about it via virtual town hall meetings, and our response to the ever-changing dy- namics of the pandemic. Early on during the pandemic, when schools closed, and loved ones of our staff, and themselves, contract- ing the virus, staff members received lots of flexibility in working remotely. We’ve also been blessed by local organizations that have provided free lunch and restaurant gift cards for our staff. What lessons have you learned as a medi- cal leader working through a pandemic? One of the biggest lessons I have learned surrounds the dramatic way in which tra- ditional roles can change. During the early days of the pandemic, when we, like many healthcare organizations, were challenged with acquiring sufficient PPE, I personally drove several miles outside of our service area to pick it up. Our staff has learned this as well, as many of themhave assumed different or additional roles to support the changes within our organization. From a public health standpoint, this pandemic has highlighted how the vast differences in socioeconomics affect one’s overall health. Our mission surrounds providing com- passionate, high-quality health care to ev- eryone, regardless of their ability to pay. This pandemic confirms the continued need for health centers like ours, and inspires me to join forces with other health care profes- sionals in reducing the social determinants of health, which form barriers preventing people from receiving quality health care, such as unemployment, a lack of housing, access to nutritious food, and other factors that contribute to persons developing health conditions that put them at risk. n