Municipal utilities stress service, going green

As the Western Massachusetts region makes its way through pandemic-fueled inflation, the consumer-owned, notfor-profit municipal utilities in the commonwealth and their state-designated joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC), forge ahead to continue to provide superior service while doing their part to reduce climate impacts.

After nearly three years of the COVID-19 pandemic and a time period of enormous change, the municipal light plant members (MLPs) and project participants of MMWEC, including the utilities in Holyoke, Chicopee, Russell, South Hadley and Westfield, strive to continue to do what they do best — maintain reliable electric service at a low cost.

Municipal utilities are not immune to the increasing energy costs and supply chain issues affecting the entire electric industry. Many of our members have had to raise their rates over the past several months, but generally, their customers are experiencing smaller increases to their bills.

With long-term planning, the municipal light plant members are able to implement rate stabilization measures to reduce the impacts of power cost volatility. While higher costs across the board affect everyone, their customers tend to have a lower energy cost burden than those served by investor-owned utilities.

Despite economic uncertainty and the ongoing pandemic, MLPs are busy en- suring that the lights stay on for their customers. They’re doing this with a focus on increasing the carbon-free energy sales in their power portfolios, in alignment with the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard (GGES) that was signed into law in 2021. Even prior to the law, many MLPs were ahead of the curve when it came to incorporating renewable resources, dating back to the first wind turbines constructed by the Princeton light department in the 1980s.

Under the GGES, MLPs must have 50% carbon-free energy sales by 2030, 75% carbon-free energy sales by 2040, and “net zero” carbon emissions energy sales by 2050. MMWEC is helping its member light departments meet or exceed these targets by developing individual “roadmaps” to help guide their future planning, based on the needs and desires of

• We have engaged openly and honestly in dialogue with our nursing staff about appropriate patient-to-nurse ratios and have committed to work collaboratively on recruiting additional nurses in order to reach those ratios consistently, as soon as possible;

• We have provided our nursing team significant additional support with certified nurse assistants, while at the same time given

• We solicit staff input with a yearly survey so that we keep a pulse on what matters to them most; and

• We never forget to have fun when possible, whether it is a summer picnic, a holiday party, our “Nurses Rock” appreciation event, our pumpkin decoration contest or one of the other many creative ways to thank our employees while having some fun. Most importantly, we listen. I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. We listen, and we take their input seriously. The roughly 1,900 people who work for us are the people who are going to help us pull through the recession and whatever else lies ahead of us. I have no doubt of that. Happy new year. each individual light department.

Spiros Hatiras is president and CEO of Holyoke Medical Center and Valley Health Systems. To learn more about the health systems, go online to holyokehealth.com.

In 2022, MMWEC developed “pathway reports” for each of its members to highlight all of the steps they are taking to reach each of those milestone targets.

To that end, MMWEC has constructed a 6.9 megawatt solar project on its Ludlow campus — the largest single solar field in the commonwealth. The Master Sgt. Alexander Cotton Memorial Solar Project is named in honor of the late master sergeant Cotton, of the 439th Airlift Wing at neighboring Westover Air Reserve Base.

Built on 35 acres, the project will generate more than 13,800 megawatt hours per year, enough to power over 1,500 homes. It is also expected to displace nearly 13.2 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from

Despite

Keroack

into retirement and patient demand increased due to an aging population in Western Massachusetts.

Concerns regarding increased pay, more contemporary benefit offerings, and more flexibility in schedules came to the forefront. Our work to implement competitive wage and benefit programs and flexible work arrangements began several years prior to the pandemic and this work laid the critical groundwork for our efforts to reduce current shortages. If not properly addressed, workforce issues have very real impacts on patient care. Staff shortages in outpatient doctors’ offices and clinics cause care to spill into already stretched hospital emergency departments. Patients requiring professional care after hospitalization may experience delayed discharges and longer stays due to staffing shortages in rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities.

Nationwide, the average hospital stay increased 19% in 2022 compared with pre-pandemic levels and 24% for patients needing discharge to post-acute care facilities, according to the American Hospital Association. The year also saw a shift to patients with medical problems (like COVID-19), who typically have longer stays than surgical patients. Increasing lengths of stay add to overcapacity in the hospital, which in turn leads to backups and waiting in emergency departments.

Because of these factors, our four hospitals ran at 110% to 20% of bed capacity for much of the year, and all areas of the clinical system were stressed.

To meet our commitment to care for all patients who need us, we have filled staffing gaps with contract workers, whose pay rates far exceed those for employed staff, together with incentive pay for existing employees to work extra shifts. The combination of overcapacity and increasing labor costs led to dramatic and historic financial losses for Baystate Health in 2022. Our system ended the year with an operating loss of $177 million, or negative 6.2%, with approximately 70% of the loss due to unexpected labor costs.

Although the shortage of qualified workers is great, Baystate does have several reasons for optimism as we build back our team. As the region’s largest health care system and only academic medical center, our employees have unique opportunities for professional growth and fulfillment.

Baystate Medical Center has been recognized with the prestigious Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. We provide training for over 30 different health professions, in collaboration with over a dozen colleges and universities. Many of these trainees choose their first job at Baystate Health.

To meet the current crisis, we have made strengthening these pipelines for new trainees and new employees a top priority. Additionally, we have strengthened our programs in employee safety, health, well-being, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to respond to the needs of our current and future workforce. We are excited to find new ways to support our caregivers to address workplace stresses and achieve their goals for personal well-being and professional advancement.

Despite the many challenges facing us today, we are thankful for the dedicated team members who make Baystate a workplace of choice and are the foundation of making our health system the first choice for care in our community. Our employees work as a team to deliver the best possible care to our patients. Many are long-term employees who serve as trainers and mentors for the next genera- tion of caregivers. Most live in the communities we serve and find great meaning in taking care of their friends and neighbors. Their belief in Baystate Health is demonstrated in the hundreds of new employees they refer through our “Bring It Baystate Campaign.”

Despite all they have been through during the pandemic years, they still appreciate the rewards of a health care career and the role Baystate Health plays as the provider of stateof-the-art care in the region in an environment of teaching and learning.

We have a lot to be proud of at Baystate Health in how we have responded to the challenges of the past two years and for the brilliant and compassionate way our team members have responded to the crises they faced. As the pandemic continues to recede, our focus will be on rebuilding our workforce and restoring our financial stability. The signs of our recovery are already visible. Based on our foundation of learning, innovation, inclusion, and commitment to the communities we serve, I am optimistic we will emerge a stronger and better health system.

Dr. Mark A. Keroack is president and CEO of Baystate Health. To learn more about Baystate Health, go online to Baystatehealth.org