StayingWell COVID-19 SPECIAL
SOCIAL DISTANCING
5 Coping Strategies
KEEP KIDS ACTIVE Here’s How
QUALITY CARE WITH A DIGITAL TWIST
A PUBLICATION OF
INNOVATING TO
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STAYING WELL &
INSPIRING HEALTH DEAR FRIENDS, ogether, our communities and healthcare teams have risen to the challenges of COVID-19. While this virus will affect us for months, I’m confident we will emerge from this pandemic with newfound strength and renewed wellbeing.
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With a vision to be “A Trusted Partner. Reimagining Healthcare. Inspiring Health,” WellSpan’s network includes eight hospitals and 1,600 physicians and advanced practice professionals delivering the safest, highest-quality care. We’re reimagining the ways we welcome you back to our care locations while taking extra precautions to keep you safe, including expanded digital care so you can connect with your care team remotely. In recent months, we’ve been flooded with assistance from our communities. Your outpouring of kindness and support has energized and sustained our team. We all look to healthcare heroes a bit differently these days, and I’m so proud of the WellSpan team for meeting our promises to the communities we serve. We recognize the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 have affected our friends and neighbors in different ways. We are here to provide the care and support you need as you manage your health and wellbeing—today, tomorrow and in the future.
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Ease into the New Normal
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The Gift of Protection
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Quality Care With a Digital Twist
As you return to some of your usual routines, take time to care for your mental health. The Plain Community made hand-sewn masks for health-care workers. WellSpan Health’s digital tools allow patients to access health care from home.
6 10 Ways to Keep Kids Active 8 Caring for Those in Need
These ideas bring a little fun to physical activity.
WellSpan Health and its community partners extend coronavirus testing and care to vulnerable groups.
10 Innovating to Save Lives
WellSpan Health’s pioneering program to quickly detect and treat sepsis wins a national quality award.
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11 ‘I Almost Didn’t See Another Birthday’ 12 Giving Stories When sepsis develops, quick action can be lifesaving.
Read what motivated two families to donate to WellSpan Health during the pandemic.
Stay well,
Roxanna Gapstur, PhD, RN President and CEO WellSpan Health
14 Social Distancing: 5 Coping Strategies Wise words from people who’ve experienced long stretches of social isolation and limitation.
15 Should You Cancel Your Vacation? Do your research—and have a Plan B ready.
WELLSPAN HEALTH CLASSES & EVENTS
Learn more about living a healthy life and feeling your best by attending one of our community programs, listed at: WellSpan.org/Events. WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital • WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital • WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital • WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital WellSpan Medical Group • WellSpan Philhaven • WellSpan Summit Physician Services • WellSpan Surgery & Rehabilitation Hospital WellSpan VNA Home Care • WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital • WellSpan York Hospital 2
COVID-19 SPECIAL | WELLSPAN.ORG
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MOVING FORWARD:
EASE INTO THE NEW NORMAL As you return to some of your usual routines during the COVID-19 pandemic, take time to consider your options and care for your mental health.
tress and anxiety run high in uncertain times, and the COVID-19 pandemic has been no exception. It’s unclear how long the coronavirus will be a threat, and many find the uncertainty distressing. Everyday activities like going to the grocery store or pharmacy have become tense as we try to distance ourselves from fellow shoppers and protect ourselves from surfaces where the virus might be. As stay-at-home orders are lifted, you’ll likely have choices to make when it comes to restarting normal routines. WellSpan Philhaven Clinic Director Adam Miller, LMFT, shares some keys to a healthy mental approach as we reintroduce ourselves to normal daily activities. For starters, he suggests not saying “yes” to every opportunity that pops up as more restrictions are lifted. “One of my concerns is that out of feeling socially deprived for the past several months, some of us may be drawn to overbook ourselves. We may find it difficult to decline an invitation to
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anything, whether it’s a barbecue, small group activities at church, a long weekend away, or a coffee date with an old friend,” Miller explains. “Each of these things is good and positive in and of itself, but saying “yes” to every opportunity is going to leave you feeling run down, overly stressed, and ultimately more prone to physical issues.” Miller also points out the flip side, where one might experience fear or stress about approaching normal routines again. “I expect some of us to struggle to reengage out of fear of sickness or because of a surge in what was already considerable social anxiety,” he says. “My advice to everyone is, of course, to follow state and local guidelines for engaging in activities safely, but most importantly to follow your own instincts about what feels right and energizing for you at this time.”
MAKE CONSCIOUS CHOICES Miller also recommends taking a personal inventory of which activities
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES OFFERED AT WELLSPAN PHILHAVEN LOCATIONS, VISIT: WELLSPANPHILHAVEN.ORG.
are worth bringing back into your life, and which new habits you may want to continue. For example, while quarantined, some of us may have reconnected with hobbies, such as playing a musical instrument or keeping a journal, that we had gotten away from in recent years. Others may have seized the opportunity to develop an at-home workout routine. “Take some time to think about whether new habits or hobbies are a greater source of joy for you than going back to your pre-pandemic book club or softball team,” Miller says. Expect a range of emotions through transitions related to COVID-19. This is especially true for health-care workers and first responders, who likely got through the past few months by compartmentalizing and putting their feelings aside so that they could function moment by moment at work. “Treat yourself with gentleness and grace because none of us has ever been through anything like this before,” Miller says. “It’s not as though just because we can have a cookout in the park or go to dinner and a movie, the crisis is over. We’re all still coping with what we’ve been through in a lot of different ways.”
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THE GIFT OF PROTECTION WellSpan Health made sure that members of the Plain Community were fully informed about COVID-19. In return, they made hand-sewn masks for health-care workers.
tay-at-home orders in Pennsylvania due to COVID-19 had the Plain Community more cut off than usual from the outside world. The most conservative Mennonite and Amish groups don’t use social media, websites, or television to receive news in real time, so members weren’t fully aware of the pandemic and its consequences. Fortunately, WellSpan had invested in caring for the Plain Community long before COVID-19 hit, and had connections in place to share critical information about the disease and its prevention. And since April, the Plain Community has given back by sewing masks as part of the 100 Million Mask Challenge, an initiative launched by the American Hospital Association to help meet the growing demand for masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. WellSpan Health provided the funding for material, while volunteers from Mennonite Disaster Services, with assistance from Goods Stores, packaged pre-cut material kits. It’s expected that 50,000 masks can be sewn by volunteers through this initiative. “When MDS heard that we had a need, they reached out to see how they could best help us,” says
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Jim Shenk, Director of Development at WellSpan Philhaven. “This is in addition to a large effort by MDS and the Plain Community that has been providing masks to WellSpan.”
A LONG-STANDING RELATIONSHIP The collaboration and strong connection between WellSpan and the Plain Community is no surprise to Joanne Eshelman, WellSpan’s Director of Plain Community Relationships since 2013. “The hospitals that are part of WellSpan have always provided care for Plain Community patients,” Eshelman says. “About 15 years ago, WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital developed a formal strategy to work with the Plain Community and has expanded that program across the rest of the communities served by WellSpan.” Eshelman’s team met the challenge by getting information out quickly, updating the Plain Community on the pandemic since mid-March. In addition to sending mailers to churches, WellSpan team members connect daily with members of the Plain Community. “We’ve sent information out to help
Mask-making materials have been available at our donation sites.
families understand the public health messages related to this disease,” Eshelman notes. “We also have held phone-in presentations each week in April and May to address questions that we’re hearing when our team talks with members of this community.” Eshelman adds that the outreach is an opportunity to provide both physical and mental health care, using the resources of WellSpan Medical Group providers and the WellSpan Philhaven team. When it comes to affordable care, WellSpan’s Plain Community Program works to make care more accessible and more affordable because members have a religious conviction against accepting any form of government aid. “They believe in mutual aid—helping each other when faced by any type of need,” says Eshelman. “Through our package pricing, discounts, personalized liaison support and genuine trusting relationships built over time, we’ve been able to help people get the care they need. They’re coping with this just like we all are, one day at a time, and we’re glad they look to WellSpan as a source of truth.”
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QUALITY CARE WITH A DIGITAL TWIST The pandemic has fueled rapid growth in the use of digital tools that allow patients to access health care from home. n response to changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, WellSpan Health doctors and advanced practice providers are offering alternative care options that don’t require patients to visit a care site in person. WellSpan is harnessing the power of technology to bring care directly to our patients through digital platforms and telemedicine. Digital visits can be used for primary and urgent care appointments, as well as for specialty care, including behavioral health and physical therapy appointments.
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VIDEO VISITS SURGE More than 300 WellSpan practices now provide care through video visits. In 2019, we completed 1,900 video visits over the course of the year. In April 2020, we averaged 1,900 video visits each day. Video visits aren’t only being utilized by our younger patients—20 percent are scheduled by patients older than 60. In fact, the age of patients for whom video visits are being used ranges from newborns to the elderly. Recently, WellSpan has begun using video visits for inpatient care, allowing doctors to see patients in the hospital
YOUR GUIDE TO WELLSPAN’S DIGITAL HEALTH OPTIONS
ONLINE URGENT CARE
VIDEO VISITS
E-VISITS
A scheduled video call with your doctor can take the place of some in-person office visits. Whether for an acute need or as a follow-up, your visit will be scheduled during normal office hours with the provider of your choosing.
Not all illnesses need a faceto-face visit. For some less complex conditions, you can answer questions by email about your symptoms and attach a picture if needed. We can diagnose and write a prescription if necessary. Start an e-Visit any time of day or night—we’ll get back to you within one business day.
Talk or video chat live with a provider now. You’ll see the first available provider and can connect on the phone or through video on a smartphone, tablet or computer. Use Online Urgent Care for acute needs—the wait time is often less than 10 minutes.
SCHEDULE NOW
GET STARTED
GET IN LINE
without needing to travel or use PPE as they move between patient rooms. In addition to video visits, some appointments can be conducted by telephone. Lately, WellSpan has averaged 9,000 such calls per week. WellSpan was one of the first health systems in the country to give patients access to an interactive tool that allows those who have been tested for COVID-19 to track their symptoms. MyWellSpan Care Companion (launched on April 1) has given personalized care to hundreds of patients who are actively tracking their symptoms using this feature on our app.
WHEN TO USE E-VISITS For less complex conditions, patients can take advantage of e-visits with
WellSpan providers. For this type of digital appointment, a patient answers questions about symptoms via email and can attach a photo if needed. Patients can expect a response within one business day. WellSpan continues to expand its other digital offerings, including Online Urgent Care and Madeline, an online pharmacy and prescription service for women to receive birth control. Having already launched many digital care options prior to the pandemic, WellSpan had the framework to expand those innovations quickly and scale them up to handle the rapidly growing need for tools that would allow patients to be cared for in the comfort and safety of their homes.
FIND A LIST OF ALL WELLSPAN FACILITY CHANGES, UPDATED REGULARLY, AT WELLSPAN.ORG/COVID19CHANGES. 5
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10 WAYS
TO KEEP
KIDS ACTIVE Without organized sports or school P.E. to help children get enough exercise, what’s a parent to do? These ideas bring a little fun to physical activity. 6
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xercise is important for children’s physical and mental health. It builds strength for the heart, lungs, muscles and bones; helps control blood sugar and weight; and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. According to the 2017–2018 National Survey of Children’s Health, only 28 percent of U.S. children met the level of exercise recommended for them: vigorous physical activity for at least 60 minutes every day. And that was before the COVID-19 crisis sent everyone home and put a temporary end to organized sports, school recess and physical education classes. Being at home means you’re competing with screen time, too. So how to make physical activity fun and appealing to your children? These ideas will help.
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HOW MUCH EXERCISE?
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CREATE AN INDOOR OR OUTDOOR OBSTACLE COURSE that includes several exercise stations. For example, to move ahead on the course, you have to do a summersault, complete 10 jumping jacks, or stand on one leg for 30 seconds. Use household items like cushions, cardboard boxes, and broomsticks to create the course.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that school-aged children and adolescents (ages 6 to 17) participate in a variety of physical activities they enjoy that are appropriate for their age. They should be physically active for 60 minutes or more each day, including these elements:
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PRACTICE HEADSTANDS. Most kids enjoy head stands and catch on quickly. Headstands exercise core muscles and circulate blood to the brain.
Aerobic activity: either moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity (this should make up most of the 60 or more minutes a day).
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MAKE FOOT RACES FUN BY CHANGING THINGS UP. Variations include carrying an egg on a spoon while you run and racing like an animal (hop like a frog or gallop like a horse). If races don’t appeal, games like tag and kick-the-can are tried-and-true ways to get kids running.
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Muscle-strengthening: activities that involve moving muscles against resistance, such as using free weights, elastic bands, or workout machines, or walking/running up stairs or hills (at least three days a week). Bone-strengthening: activities that produce an impact on the bones, such as hopping, skipping, jumping rope, running, weight lifting or playing sports like volleyball, tennis and basketball (at least three days a week).
IF YOUR CHILD IS OLD ENOUGH, put him or her in charge of walking the dog.
AMP UP FOLLOW-THE-LEADER. Give each participant a turn at being the leader, and award a prize to the one whose actions are the most energetic.
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HAVE A DANCE FEST. Alternate between your favorite tunes and those of your kids. When dancing starts to feel dull, incorporate freeze play: Whenever the music stops, everyone has to freeze in place until it starts up again. Take photos of the funniest “freeze” positions. IF YOU PRACTICE YOGA, teach your kids the basic positions and run a simple session for them before doing your own practice.
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BREAK OUT A JUMP ROPE. Dust off your memories of the rhymes you jumped to as a child or look online for ideas. Kids not interested in rhymes? Hold a competition to see who can jump for the longest time.
CREATE A CARNIVAL. Outside or in a room free of breakables, set up a ball-throwing carnival game. Use cans from the recycling bin, or the bin itself for younger children, as the targets. Set them up on a bench, table or low wall. Award small treats or prizes for hitting the targets.
EXPLORE THE OUTDOORS BY HIKING. Being outside reduces anxiety and stress, and hiking gets the heart rate up. It also gives you dedicated talk time with your kids—away from televisions and cell phones. If they need an extra incentive, visit the trail ahead of time to set up a scavenger hunt. While hiking, if you see others on the trail, just step off until they pass as needed to maintain 6 feet of separation.
FOR RESOURCES TO DEVELOP A SCHEDULE FOR CHILDREN, GO TO WWW.WELLSPANPHILHAVEN.ORG/MAINTAINING-GOODMENTAL-HEALTH-DURING-THE-CORONAVIRUS-PANDEMIC.
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CARING FOR THOSE IN NEED WellSpan Health has joined forces with our community partners to extend coronavirus testing and care to vulnerable groups, including the homeless.
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osh Medina, 35, a driver for Rabbit Transit, knows quite a bit about being of service. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he’s had experience with hazardous materials and is familiar with the use of personal protective equipment. So when Rabbit Transit, a regional public transportation provider, offered to set aside a bus and As part of a WellSpan Health program to care for vulnerable a van to transport homeless populations, Josh Medina, above, drives a Rabbit Transit van people who might have that takes confirmed COVID-19 patients who don’t have access to transportation to testing sites and medical appointments. been exposed to COVID-19, Medina stepped up. He drives possible and confirmed patients to lack many of the necessary defenses testing sites and medical appointments for a pandemic. The efforts encompass as part of a WellSpan Health program Adams, Lancaster, Lebanon and York to care for vulnerable populations. The counties, and vary from county to vehicles are disinfected with a special county. The main components of the “fogger” after these uses. community outreach program include: “It’s a crazy time, and somebody’s • Transportation, including to got to do it,” Medina says. “I want to WellSpan testing tents and to other do my part.” parts of the program Those who are homeless or living • Computer tablets for shelters in shelters may be particularly at and group homes with vulnerable risk of COVID-19 because both social populations so residents can connect distancing and frequent handwashing with Wellspan Online Urgent Care and are likely challenges. In addition, be assessed for potential COVID-19 access to testing and treatment may symptoms be, literally, out of reach due to a lack • Housing at area motels for those of transportation. who need to be isolated while awaiting tests results or completing the recommended 14-day quarantine after PARTNERS IN CARING a positive test result The contributions of Medina and • Meals at the motels during the Rabbit Transit are just one example isolation period of WellSpan’s collaboration with • Support and check-in calls to community partners to help people in ensure that patients get any needed need during the COVID-19 pandemic. care during isolation. “This is a community-wide effort,” WellSpan’s community partners says Katie Wilt, manager of case include emergency management management special programs for officials in every county; the York WellSpan. “We realize there’s a whole County Coalition on Homelessness; other population we need to guide and the Northern Lancaster Hub; Lebanon work with during this crisis. We’re County Christian Ministries; the working with shelters, residences, Healthy Franklin County Group; and state and county government, others. The effort is being financed by community groups and others to make a variety of means, including donations sure everyone has access to care.” and government funding. In keeping with our commitment This comprehensive outreach to improve the health of communities aligns with WellSpan’s commitment in central Pennsylvania, WellSpan is to understand the needs of the addressing the needs of people who
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communities we serve and engage with local partners to identify the best way to meet those needs. As Josh Medina puts it, “Let’s do the best we can to help each other in this crazy situation.”
STRONGER TOGETHER IMPROVING COMMUNITY HEALTH BY SUPPORTING OUR PARTNERS The population that WellSpan Health serves is diverse—by age, gender, geography, income, ethnicity and cultural beliefs. In order to develop the health care options they need, we’ve formed robust partnerships with the local organizations that know their communities best. To help our community partners continue to succeed in this time of uncertainty, we offer a variety of resources: • T HE “SLOW THE SPREAD” grant program, a streamlined grant request process that allows organizations to quickly deal with emergent needs related to the pandemic. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. • T HE COMMUNITY PARTNER COMMUNICATION TOOLKIT, which provides simple, graphic documents to share with the public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. The materials are available in both English and Spanish. • C ANCEL/RESCHEDULE GUIDANCE: We’ve shared the decision tree WellSpan uses to help community organizations decide whether to cancel an upcoming program or service due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To download these materials or to learn more, go to www.wellspan.org/coronavirus/ resources-for-community-partners/.
TO DONATE, GO TO WELLSPAN.ORG/CORONAVIRUS/I-WANT-TO-HELP.
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and CEO of WellSpan Health. “This prestigious honor is a testament to their innovation while finding a better way to improve the health of our communities.” WellSpan received the Eisenberg Award in the category of Local Level Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality, which recognizes a project or initiative that focuses on making an impact at the local community, organization or regional level. WellSpan’s Central Alert Team program earned the award as an example of successful system changes or interventions that make care safer or advocate on a patient’s behalf. Begun in 2017, the Central Alert Team is a group of registered nurses with critical care and emergency medicine experience who continuously monitor patients for signs of sepsis at five WellSpan hospitals from a remote “bunker.” The team is notified when WellSpan’s electronic health record system detects symptoms of sepsis in a patient’s vital signs, including temperature and heart rate, and lab results.
I N NOVATING TO SAVE LIVES
WellSpan Health’s pioneering program to quickly detect and treat sepsis wins a national quality award. ellSpan Health has been awarded a preeminent national award in patient safety and quality, making it the first Pennsylvania health system to achieve this prestigious honor in 15 years. The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum announced in May that WellSpan has won a 2019 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award—one of the highest safety awards in healthcare—for its Central Alert Team, an innovative program that works to quickly detect and treat sepsis, a life-threatening medical emergency. The last Pennsylvania health system
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to win an Eisenberg Award was the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in 2004. Previous award winners have included well-known healthcare organizations across the country, including the Mayo Clinic, Memorial Hermann Health System in Texas, Kaiser Permanente and Henry Ford Health System in Michigan.
REIMAGINING HEALTH CARE “WellSpan teams are reimagining healthcare by providing nation-leading quality and safety for sepsis care,” said Roxanna Gapstur, Ph.D., R.N., president
TECHNOLOGY AND TEAMWORK When notified of these markers, the Central Alert Team directly contacts the patient’s physician or nurse so they can determine if the patient may be septic or clinically unstable, and consider administering life-saving drugs, fluids and other interventions. In fact, the team has saved an estimated 350 lives since its inception by dramatically shortening the time it takes WellSpan to respond to sepsis cases and reducing the time it takes for patients to receive lifesaving medications. Identification and screening times improved from 67 minutes to 12 minutes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WELLSPAN HEALTH’S QUALITY AND SAFETY EFFORTS IN THE AREA OF SEPSIS, VISIT WWW.WELLSPAN.ORG/QUALITY.
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When Tammy Sullivan developed sepsis, she received the care she needed quickly thanks to the Central Alert Team, WellSpan Health’s unique and award-winning early detection program.
monitoring her condition on that February night in 2019. The team, a group of nurses with critical care and emergency department experience, are on duty 24/7 from a remote “bunker” to support the work of bedside teams in hospitals. The team monitors a patient’s electronic health record for dangerous changes in vital signs and lab tests that may signal the onset of sepsis. The team quickly notifies a patient’s bedside caregivers, so they can determine if the patient may be septic or clinically unstable, and consider administering life-saving drugs, fluids and other interventions. WellSpan’s innovative Central Alert Team program has received national recognition, including the prestigious 2019 John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award from The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum. The award recognizes the innovation of the program, which brings together the expertise of experienced nurses and real-time data from a patient’s electronic health record, as well as the improvements in safety and quality it brings about.
PREVENTING SEPSIS DEATHS
‘I ALMOST DIDN’T SEE ANOTHER BIRTHDAY’ When sepsis develops, quick action can be lifesaving. he last thing Tammy Sullivan remembers is lying in her hospital bed, staring blankly at the call bell in her room at WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital. A nurse for 29 years, Tammy is very familiar with a call bell. Her mind simply could not figure out how to use it. At that moment, Tammy’s heart rate was spiking. Her temperature was high. Her white blood cell count was high, too. She was experiencing severe sepsis, a life-threatening complication from an infection, losing her ability to think clearly and about to lose consciousness. Fortunately, WellSpan’s Central Alert Team was virtually
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Since its inception, the program is estimated to have saved the lives of about 350 people who have been diagnosed with sepsis. Count Tammy among them. Just before she passed out, Tammy remembers a nurse running into her room and yelling her name. When she woke up, a team of clinicians was surrounding her bed, taking care of her. Angela Mays, a nurse with 20 years of experience, was the Central Alert Team nurse on duty the night that Tammy’s vital signs triggered an alert. “She was very sick,” says Mays. “She had an infection inside her abdominal cavity. It could have been lethal.” The Central Alert Team monitors patients who are at highest risk for sepsis, based on an algorithm developed by WellSpan expert clinicians. The team typically responds to alerts on 50 to 80 patients every day in the WellSpan system, at five hospitals across southcentral Pennsylvania. During cold and flu season, the team can receive more than 100 patient alerts a day. During the coronavirus pandemic, their work has been particularly important because patients have had to be placed in isolation. A case management manager at WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital, Tammy started feeling ill on her 48th birthday. At first, she thought her belly hurt because she had eaten too much birthday cake, which is her favorite dessert. Her 49th birthday was a special one, she says, marked by a family dinner and a beautiful snowfall. She and her 13-year-old daughter, Julie, baked her favorite chocolate cake for dessert. Tammy had a big piece. “It’s definitely on my mind that I almost didn’t see another birthday,” she says. “How grateful I am to all of those people who saved my life. It’s a surreal feeling.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WELLSPAN HEALTH’S QUALITY AND SAFETY EFFORTS IN THE AREA OF SEPSIS, VISIT: WWW.WELLSPAN.ORG/QUALITY.
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Nhi T. Chau helps her mother, Nguyet “Crystal” Chau, make masks for health-care workers.
GIVING STORIES Read what motivated two families to donate to WellSpan Health during the COVID-19 crisis. 12
guyet “Crystal” Chau and Don Reigart have special bonds with healthcare workers, but for different reasons. Crystal’s journey with Parkinson’s disease has required several trips in and out of WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital as she navigates an illness that can test her to the max on any given day. Reigart stays active during his retirement by volunteering at WellSpan York Hospital, where he delivers snacks to patients and staff several days a week. When WellSpan’s health care heroes took the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis, the efforts hit home to Crystal and Don, inspiring them to step up. “It became clear very quickly that there were a lot of people in need, and I recognized that I have the resources and the time to give back to the community,” Crystal says. “It’s difficult for me to witness others struggling with illness, caring for loved ones, or to simply do their jobs and not try to be part of the solution.” Crystal and her husband, Trung, of Brownstown, donated 186 cases of supplies to WellSpan Health including gloves, alcohol, manufactured masks, hand sanitizer, liquid hand soap, and gowns. These weren’t things the couple had stockpiled in their basement or garage, so Crystal reached out to friends and family via social media to share her plan. When an overwhelmingly generous response came back, it only motivated her to do more as she called on nail salons and manufacturers to inquire about buying items in bulk. Her 11-year-old daughter, Nhi, and an elderly friend even joined in the effort as they helped her sew face masks at home. As of May 2, Crystal’s outreach led to a donation of 850 handmade masks to WellSpan with her own family making 100. “This situation is devastating at
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“My wife and I each received $1,200 [stimulus checks]. And we thought, ‘this could do some good.’ So we gave $500 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and $500 to the York County Food Bank. That left $1,400 to help the nurses and doctors at WellSpan.”
WE WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A MOMENT TO SAY
“THANK YOU!”
DON REIGART
its core and it has been made all the more difficult by a mere distribution inefficiency, which I knew I could help alleviate,” Crystal explains. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t the first time the Chaus encountered a world of uncertainty and hardship around them. The couple emigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam after the war. “This country and community have given us the opportunity to work hard and provide a safe place to live and raise a family with my husband,” Crystal says. “It’s only right to give back to a community that has given us so much over the years. Additionally, I felt this was a chance to model for my kids the kind of giving they should always seek to offer. I wanted them to see that in unsettling times, you can and should find a way to help.” Crystal says that donating to WellSpan has had a positive effect on her own health because anxiety and Parkinson’s go hand in hand. While meditation and relaxation have helped her feel much better over the years, seeing the appreciation and gratitude for the donations has made her feel
happy. “The smiles I see give me energy and life to continue donating even further,” she says. “It’s actually quite addicting—it’s a happy cycle.”
SHARING THEIR STIMULUS CHECKS Don Reigart was looking for a way he could help nurses and doctors since the pandemic put his volunteer duties at the hospital on hold. When he and his wife received their Federal Economic Impact Payments (stimulus checks), they immediately knew they wanted to use them to help others. “My wife and I each received $1,200,” says Don. “And we thought, ‘this could do some good.’ So we gave $500 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and $500 to the York County Food Bank. That left $1,400 that we’d like to use to help the nurses and doctors at WellSpan. Especially at this time.” Don says he wants the money to be used in any way that helps his colleagues and their efforts at the hospital. He wishes he could be there, but wants to do what he can.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO WELLSPAN’S COVID-19 RESPONSE, VISIT WELLSPAN.ORG/COVID19HELP.
Since WellSpan’s “I Want to Help” webpage went live on March 27, there have been more than 800 offers of support. Below is just a sampling of the way our community has rallied to make a difference in our WellSpan health-care heroes’ lives. • More than 40,000 donated handmade cloth masks and counting • 4,000 N95 masks • 1,200 boxes of gloves • More than 500 cases of supplies not limited to, but including hand sanitizer, hand soap, gowns, and paper products • More than 25 offers for 3D printing • Hundreds of Messages of Hope displayed on sidewalks, in yards, in front of hospitals, and sent to staff as e-Greetings, videos, and mail • Gifts of coffee, healthy meals, fresh fruits & vegetables, energy drinks, snack foods, pizzas, sandwich wraps, food-truck meals, and Girl Scout Cookies • Offers of lawncare, Easter baskets, flowers, egg dying kits, campgrounds and campers for visiting nurses, hotel rooms for staff, gift cards, rosaries, meditation guides, childcare, cleaning services and the list goes on. . . • More than $125,000 in individual cash donations.
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SOCIAL DISTANCING: 5 COPING STRATEGIES Wise words from people who’ve experienced long stretches of social isolation and limitation.
s the early days of social distancing have stretched into weeks, we’ve learned new coping strategies for the inconvenience, isolation and anxiety it causes. We’ll need those strategies and more while we wait for medical science to catch up with the coronavirus, experts say. The effects of widespread, long-term social distancing haven’t been studied. However, the impact of similar situations, such as quarantines and social isolation, has been researched. Study after study has shown a significant risk of negative psychological effects. That makes self-care in this situation a serious matter. So, what can you do to keep your spirits up for the long run? People with extensive experience in confined quarters have stepped in to offer advice. “MAKE A ROUTINE, test it and stick to it,” says Jon Bailey who, as a former U.S. Navy submariner spent months on deployments undersea. Maintaining set days and times for work, meals, exercise and more helps differentiate one day from the next, one week from the next and so on, reinforcing the passage of time. “KEEP A JOURNAL,” says retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who did just that when he spent nearly a year on the International Space Station. If daily events don’t provide much fresh fodder, write about memories, or about what you’re feeling, hearing, seeing and eating to bring the experience alive. Make a note of positive changes that have come with
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staying home—for example, more time for family activities like games and movie nights, or the opportunity to work on a personal project for which you don’t usually have time. “READ BOOKS,” says Washington Post writer Jason Rezaian, who was held in prison in Iran for 544 days. “I found myself gravitating toward books about hardship,” he says. “They demonstrated for me that my experience, no matter how difficult, was one that I could survive.” NURTURE YOUR ENVIRONMENT. Polar scientist Marion Dierickx spends months at a time at the South Pole carrying out telescope maintenance. Whether at the polar station or social distancing at home, she tries to control her environment. “In the lab space, I would obsessively clean it,” she says, “and now I’m doing the same thing, stuck in my apartment. Nurturing our environment can only help our psychological balance.” Dierickx also suggests modifying the décor of a room, which both creates change and is a great way to channel energy. REMEMBER THAT YOU’RE DOING A GOOD THING. One study found that thinking about quarantine conditions as primarily voluntary, rather than mandatory, made them easier to accept. Your actions are helping to keep others safe—not only your family, friends and neighbors, but people you’ll never meet, including vulnerable people such as the old or those with pre-existing medical conditions. Give yourself credit for your altruistic actions.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT MANAGING STRESS AND/OR ANXIETY, GO TO WWW.WELLSPAN.ORG/CORONAVIRUS/MAINTAININGGOOD-MENTAL-HEALTH/.
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COVID-19 SPECIAL | WELLSPAN.ORG
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SHOULD YOU CANCEL YOUR VACATION? Do your research—and have a Plan B ready. ith virus-related restrictions having kept people homebound, many are looking forward to summer vacation trips with extra gusto. But will it be safe—or even possible—to carry out those travel plans? In this ever-evolving situation, just one guideline is consistent: Check before you go. For international travel, get the latest on border closings and embassy contact information at the U.S. Department of State website: travel.state.gov. Information about both international and domestic travel is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website: cdc.gov/travel. If you’re planning to travel domestically, be aware that attractions like beaches and parks could be closed and quarantines might be in place for outof-state visitors. For the latest intel, check the website of the tourism department for the state you plan to visit. Summer trips to national parks are an American tradition. This year,
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don’t take for granted that they’ll all be open. The National Park Service is modifying operations on a case-by-case basis. Check the status of your desired destination at nps.gov/coronavirus.
GOING TO PLAN B If it turns out that your expected vacation is not in the cards, or if you’re just not comfortable going, consider deferring it for a year. You’ll have a chance to finetune the details of your trip, or perhaps even to devise a new dream vacation. For this year, consider these alternative vacation ideas: • Day trips. Find a wealth of doablein-a-day destinations and ideas at ohio.org/things-to-do/. Arrive early when locations are least crowded, or plan trips to secluded spots for picnics and hiking. • Virtual Tours. Many intriguing destinations—from the Palace of Versailles to Machu Picchu—offer online tours. For major museum tours, check out Google Arts and Culture at ArtsandCulture.google.com. Many zoos
and aquariums have live cams that allow you to watch animals playing or resting. • Camping adventures. Being out in nature is a proven mood-booster, and camping in an isolated spot will allow you to safely take advantage of that. The availability of state and federal parks is in flux as governments seek to control crowds, so check before you go. To find lesser-known camping sites, check TheDyrt.com. HipCamp.com offers bookings for camping areas on private grounds. Consider backyard camping if you prefer to stick close to home. • Staycations. During your vacation time, recreate the elements that make a resort getaway relaxing: beautifully scented soaps and candles, soothing music and plush towels, to name a few. Declutter and simplify your space to make it more hotel-like. Grab your beach book and stretch out on a lounge chair on your porch or backyard. Devise a special cocktail or mocktail and order in, or prepare a favorite dinner dish. In short— indulge yourself.
QUESTIONS RELATED TO COVID-19? VIEW OUR ONLINE GUIDE AT WELLSPAN.ORG/CORONAVIRUS. IF YOU HAVE COVID-19 SYMPTOMS, PLEASE CALL YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
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