Massini: ‘critical to follow safety recommendations throughout holiday season’

Penn State Health CEO Steve Massini sent the following email to employees Dec. 9.

Dear Colleagues,

When our first COVID-19 patients began arriving in our emergency departments, schools shifted to virtual learning, businesses shut down and we asked many of you to work from home, I never envisioned that our lives would still be so upended in December.

We have provided outstanding care for our community during this pandemic, even as we confronted extraordinary challenges within our organization and our own families. A vaccine is on the horizon, but it will take weeks, even months, to receive and distribute that vaccine. Meanwhile, state and federal health officials warn us that infections will continue to rise throughout the winter and practicing safety measures at work and in our personal lives is more important than ever.

I encourage you to join Penn State Health’s town hall at noon next Tuesday, Dec. 15. We’ll provide an update on what we are doing to manage the current surge, and Dr. Thomas Ma, chair of our Department of Medicine, will give you an overview of what we know about the vaccines that have been developed. We’ll also share information about our plans to distribute a vaccine.

Today, I want to share some of Penn State Health’s latest COVID-19 statistics so that all of us have an accurate picture of our current situation and understand why it’s so critical to follow safety recommendations throughout the holiday season. Infections in our region and among our workforce are significantly higher than in the spring, and we face a real threat of being able to care for our community.

The number of patients hospitalized at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, St. Joseph Medical Center and Holy Spirit Medical Center because of COVID-19:

You can track our daily inpatient COVID-19 population and other statistics on our public dashboard.

The number of Penn State Health and College of Medicine employees who currently cannot work because of confirmed COVID-19 infection:

The number of employees who currently cannot work because they potentially have been exposed to COVID-19 and are quarantined (this number does not include employees with confirmed infection):

The last two statistics are especially important. As the number of COVID-19 patients continues to rise, we need everyone available. Our health system has 170 licensed ICU beds, and while we can convert other spaces to ICU units, ICUs require a higher level of training and staffing than acute care units. As a higher number of employees are affected by COVID because of infection or exposure to infection, our ability to staff these units and meet the overall needs of our patients is threatened.

We serve a community that is extraordinarily proud of us and grateful for us. Many individuals have reached out to ask how they can support our health system, especially when so many of us have been working nearly non-stop in unprecedented conditions for 10 months. Here’s what I say to them, and I’m asking the same of our workforce.

More than supplies, donations or well wishes, we need everyone to follow safety precautions that will help them avoid getting sick or exposing others.

• Work from home if you can.
• Only go out in public when it’s necessary.
• Workplace gatherings of any kind are prohibited, including break areas, conference rooms, offices, practice sites or administrative areas.
• Outside of work, avoid gatherings with anyone who doesn’t live with you.
• Always wear a mask when you are not at home with your immediate family members and you can’t keep six feet away from others.
• Conserve PPE.
• Wash your hands often and frequently cleanse regularly touched surfaces.

It’s been a long year. I know we are exhausted. I know it’s difficult not to see loved ones during the holidays – I missed seeing many of our friends and family members who normally visit at Thanksgiving, too. But the people in our COVID units are people from our community ― our neighbors, spouses and partners, grandparents, children, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles. Amid the most challenging circumstances, Penn State Health has been there for our community, and we need to have the staff and supplies to continue to care for them.

We are getting through this together.

Thank you.

Steve Massini
Chief Executive Officer

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