The most-asked question we have received is “What will the color of our scrubs be?” Rest assured, the transition team is on it. According to Lisa Smithgall, vice president of patient care services and chief nursing officer of Holston Valley Medical Center, a new policy is being designed with our patients and team members in mind. Smithgall has been asked by Ballad Health leadership to lead our efforts to develop a new policy. Her background as a nurse, and her experience in both Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System give her a unique perspective on what is important to our team members and patients. Both Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System currently have color-coded uniforms for team members in specific roles and/or departments. “We do want to have consistency throughout Ballad Health,” Smithgall explained. “This consistency will reduce anxiety of patients, improve patient safety and make sure it is as easy…

When the merger of Wellmont Health System and Mountain States Health Alliance becomes final, all team members of the former systems will become Ballad Health team members – and that means everyone will have Ballad Health email addresses. Your new email will look similar to your current address. Most Ballad Health team members’ email addresses will follow the format of Firstname.Lastname@balladhealth.org, much like the Firstname.Lastname@wellmont.org and Firstname.Lastname@msha.com setups in use now. There is one exception to this change. For team members who share names, the addresses will add a number after the duplicate last name; for instance, Jane.Doe2@balladhealth.org. Please note: Team members will not need to do anything to set up their new accounts. The first time you log on to a Ballad Health computer or system after the Ballad Health launch, your new address will automatically come up – no need to manually change your information. After the transition, your previous email addresses from…

Day 1 of Ballad Health marks a major moment for our region and team members. To start off our new, integrated health system, all team members will receive new Ballad Health name badges on launch day. Badges will be available in brand experience rooms, which will be hosted at each facility, office and medical practice and open to all team members. You will also receive a Ballad Health badge pull, so you can start showing your Ballad Health pride. Please note: Your Ballad Health badge is a temporary badge and does not contain the electronic ID that you use to access buildings and other systems. You will need to thread your temporary Ballad Health badge onto the same plastic loop that you use for your current badge so the Ballad Health logo is facing out but your electronic ID badge is still present underneath. Permanent Ballad Health badges will be distributed after our security and…

On the day Ballad Health officially launches, our digital presence will change as well, with a new external website and a new intranet landing page for the entire system. The Ballad Health intranet home page will have a new look featuring our new Ballad Health brand, and will incorporate features like an all-inclusive directory, a news site and quick links to human resources and a “frequently asked questions” page. Don’t worry – our current intranets aren’t going away. You’ll still be able to access Pulse and Wellnet through the new Ballad Health intranet. Icons on the left side of the home page will take you straight to your former organization’s intranet, and all your old links will still be there. On the Ballad Health intranet, you will have the ability to customize your home page with the links you use most. A tip sheet showing how to customize your links will be posted on the…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. and KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Mountain States Health Alliance and Wellmont Health System have increased visitation restrictions at all their hospitals this week due to the severity of this year’s flu season, both locallyand across the country. To protect patients, team members and physicians from potential exposure, hospitals are asking the following individuals to refrain from visiting patients at this time: Anyone who has flu-like symptoms, such as cough, sore throat, fever, chills, runny nose, body aches, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea Anyone younger than 18 Any groups of more than two adults per patient “This is a level of restriction we have not done before, but it’s important to understand the risks this flu season are higher than normal,” said Jamie Swift, director of infection prevention at Mountain States. “These restrictions match what is being done in many other parts of the country, as hospitals are seeing not only higher volumes of flu cases,…