TO: Ballad Health Leaders (Managers, Directors, AVP, VP, SVP, EVP)
FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center
DATE: April 10, 2020
TITLE: Daily COVID-19 briefing – April 10, 2020
ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. This is a review of the major activities that occurred Friday related to the COVID-19 response.
Connected Care Virtual Urgent Care
Expanding on what was already the region’s most expansive network of telehealth technology, Ballad Health has launched a region-wide, technology-driven virtual urgent care center.
The Connected Care Virtual Urgent Care Clinic offers access to care for adults and children experiencing illnesses, such as the cold or flu; eye infections; sinus infections; stomach or gastrointestinal illness; heartburn or acid reflux; minor skin conditions; sore throat; headaches; and more.
This technology expansion creates even more access to its already broad network by enabling telehealth connectivity with a flat fee of $30, which includes a visit with a healthcare provider, an appropriate diagnosis and a prescription, if necessary. This $30 fee applies regardless of insurance coverage.
“During this particularly difficult time, when people are concerned about physical distancing, Ballad Health chose to expand our access points virtually, and to price them exceptionally low to ensure people can access urgent care when needed,” said Ballad Health Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine.
Patients who want to schedule an appointment with the Virtual Urgent Care Clinic can call 423-224-3950 to speak with a patient service representative. The Telehealth Urgent Care Clinic is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., as well as Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Learn more about telehealth urgent care at Ballad Health.
Ballad Health Medical Associates temporarily consolidates several urgent care locations
Ballad Health, like nearly every healthcare system, is currently bracing for an influx of COVID-19 patients, while also experiencing nearly catastrophic declines in its volumes in most other areas, including physician practice and urgent care use. To prevent lasting damage to our system – and with it, the region’s access to high-quality healthcare – Ballad Health Medical Associates will temporarily consolidate services at several locations.
Effective Monday, April 13, the following Ballad Health Medical Associates Urgent Care locations will be closed:
- Bristol, Exit 7, Va. Patients will be directed to Abingdon, Virginia, or State Street in Bristol, Tennessee.
- Bristol, Volunteer Parkway, Tenn. Patients will be directed to the State Street in Bristol, Tennessee.
- Elizabethton, Tenn. Patients will be directed to Johnson City, Tennessee.
- Gray, Tenn. Patients will be directed to Johnson City, Colonial Heights or Kingsport.
- Jonesborough, Tenn. Patients will be directed to Johnson City.
- Marion, Virginia Patients will be directed to Abingdon, Virginia.
As always, patient care remains our top priority, and we don’t want to interrupt anyone’s access to healthcare services. By redirecting patient flow to larger urgent care centers, we’ll be able to handle our patient volumes, while also retaining the urgent cares’ financial viability.
Ballad Health expands telehealth to more than 300 providers
We also announced today more than 300 primary and specialty care providers are now available through the Ballad Health Connected Care Telehealth program, giving existing patients the ability to access their doctor and healthcare team without having to travel or be seen in person.
The expansion of Connected Care’s Telehealth offerings with these providers will be especially important to patients living in rural areas and vulnerable patient populations, such as those who are immunocompromised or have pre-existing conditions.
Existing patients can call their Ballad Health provider to determine if Connected Care Telehealth might be an option for them. The cost of a telehealth primary or specialty care visit is the same as a traditional office visit. Uninsured patients should contact their health insurance provider to determine what that cost might be.
Learn more about the Ballad Health Connected Care Telehealth.
Reprocessing and reuse of N95 respirators
To prepare for an increased need for personal protective equipment (PPE), we will be collecting N95 respirators (also known as a filtering facemask respirator or FFR) for reprocessing with our Sterrard Sterilization System.
All CDC guidance is being followed for this reprocessing, and once reprocessed, these N95s will be stored for future use. Ballad Health’s supply chain continues to work diligently to secure additional N95s for our team members. Reprocessed N95s will only be returned into circulation for team member use if our supply levels become critical.
Moments of light – Accountable Health Communities team helps provide local families with food
As we fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Ballad Health team members are doing what they do best – caring for the minds, bodies and souls of the people in the Appalachian Highlands.
Today, Ballad Health’s Accountable Health Communities team worked with two local churches to bring families food. Although it is Good Friday, and many places are closed, Highlands Christian Fellowship in Bristol generously supplied four emergency food bags. Chance Dye, the lead Accountable Health Communities navigator, arranged pickup of the bags and provided them to a community volunteer who made home deliveries.
One of the other Accountable Health Communities navigators reached out to The Cave Church in Norton, Virginia. A couple from the church immediately donated enough food for three families, and two of our navigators distributed the food. Coincidentally, the couple from the church had purchased quite a few Yoo-Hoo beverages, which just happens to be the favorite drink of one of the patients! He and his wife expressed this is the first time anyone had ever helped them. The navigator is now helping them with the process of getting Meals on Wheels.
Another lady who received food told the navigator, “I hope the Lord blesses you this Easter season, as much as you all have blessed me today.”
Pictured: Chance Dye, along with Steve Robinson, pastor of Highlands Fellowship Church, and his wife, Heather Robinson.
Do you have a story or team member you’d like to recognize? Let us know by sending an email to BalladHealthCorporateEOC@balladhealth.org.
Additional points to note
- Our analysis of communities within the region that are successfully stopping the spread of the disease suggests we must target a goal of reducing our travel and physical contacts by 75% for multiple weeks. We are lagging behind other parts of the U.S. in our physical distancing efforts – especially in reducing the number of visits and time spent at non-essential locations. We encourage you to take stay at home orders by the governors of Tennessee and Virginia seriously. The more aggressively we stop the spread, the sooner we should be on the path to recovery.
- Ballad Health Behavioral Health is committed to acting quickly to provide resources to our team members. Our goal is to support each person’s overall well-being during this time of uncertainty for our nation, as well as raise awareness in our community that “It’s OK to not be OK.” We have added additional resources to specifically triage, assess and offer emotional support to team members Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Team members can access this hotline via the Respond Crisis Hotline at 800-366-1132. Please feel free to print and post the attached print ad that will run in local newspapers this weekend.
- All COVID-19 updates and information will continue to be shared to www.balladhealth.org/COVID19.
Total positive COVID-19 case count by county:
- Tennessee – 4,862 total; 133 in Appalachian Highlands (per health department data)
- Carter – 3
- Cocke – 3
- Greene – 25
- Hamblen – 4
- Hawkins – 22
- Johnson – 2
- Sullivan – 35
- Unicoi – 2
- Washington – 37
- Virginia – 4,509; 44 in Appalachian Highlands (per health department data)
- Buchanan – 1
- City of Bristol – 1
- Lee – 3
- Russell – 1
- Scott – 3
- Smyth – 9
- Tazewell – 4
- Washington – 17
- Wise – 8
- Wythe – 7
In case you missed it, follow the links below to learn more…
- Important message from our CEO: Action taken to bolster bedside staffing and mitigate issues related to volume decline
- If you have content you would like to contribute to Ballad Health’s social media pages, please email socialmedia@balladhealth.org. Please do not submit photos of team members donning PPE as a photo prop.
