TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) DATE: Sept. 29, 2024 TITLE: Severe weather emergency; system updates for Sept. 29 ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members Ballad Health’s Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) remains active due to ongoing issues caused by severe weather. Flooding, high winds and power outages continue to create problems throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Please see below for the most current list of system updates. Greeneville Community Hospital (GCH) services to remain suspended  Inpatient transfers to Holston Valley Medical Center have been successfully completed. All services remain suspended at Greeneville Community Hospital except for those provided in the emergency department. Emergency obstetric (OB) services are still being provided for patients in active labor or who have an emergent situation. OB patients with a scheduled induction at GCH should call their physician to receive care at another hospital. Patients experiencing an emergency may still come to the hospital’s emergency department….

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) DATE: Sept. 29, 2024, as of 5:45 p.m. TITLE: Safety Advisory ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members Many fatalities typically occur in the aftermath of major floods due to preventable safety risks. Please take every precaution to protect yourself and your loved ones. Boil water advisories Many local water utilities have been forced to suspend service, and several of those still operating or coming back on line are issuing boil water advisories. It’s crucial to follow these advisories, as boiling water kills harmful organisms like bacteria, viruses and parasites that can lead to symptoms such as nausea, cramps, diarrhea, headaches and other conditions. The following list of water utilities have issued boil water advisories is up to date as of Sunday, Sept. 29. Please check with your local municipality for the most current updates. If you’re uncertain whether your area is affected, it’s…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 28, 2024, as of 2 p.m. TITLE: Severe weather emergency; updates for Greene County ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Ballad Health has activated its Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) due to issue caused by severe weather. Flooding, high winds power outages are creating problems throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Please see below for the most current list of hospital closures and system updates. Systemwide phone outages All Ballad Health facilities are reporting intermittent phone outages for incoming and outgoing calls. To contact Ballad Health or inquire about healthcare: Anyone experiencing an emergency should call 911. Ballad Health has 24/7 monitoring in place for its website chat function at www.balladhealth.org/contact. Urgent questions can be sent via direct message to Ballad Health’s social media pages. Please note: Ballad Health will not be able to provide patient information through social media. For durable medical equipment…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 27, 2024, as of 8:30 p.m. TITLE: Severe weather emergency; updates to hospital closures ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Earlier today, thanks to the heroic efforts of first responders, community leaders and the Ballad Health team, all patients and team members were rescued from severe flood waters at Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee. No one remains at the facility. Affected patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their families have been updated. The hospital remains closed until further notice. Ballad Health will assess the damage once flood water recedes and provide updates on the status of the facility. We will ensure all current and future patients can access care at neighboring facilities. Ballad Health’s Corporate Emergency Operations Center will remain open through Saturday, Sept. 28. Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton safely evacuated 39 inpatients and has suspended…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 27, 2024 TITLE: Event cancellations due to severe weather emergency ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Unfortunately, due to the effects of Hurricane Helene, Ballad Health has had to cancel two important events. Camp Firefly and Boots & Bowties were both scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 28. However, out of concern for our communities’ safety amid the lingering effects of the storm, our teams have decided it is in everyone’s best interest to cancel these events. Camp Firefly is a free one-day camp at Warriors’ Path State Park in Kingsport, designed for children and teenagers who have experienced the death of a loved one. Boot & Bowties, which was scheduled to be held in Hiltons, Virginia, was to feature the music of James Meadows, with proceeds benefiting the Appalachian Highlands Community Dental Center. Any further developments about these events will be communicated as…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 27, 2024, as of 5 p.m. TITLE: Severe weather emergency; updates to hospital closures ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Ballad Health has activated its Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) due to issues caused by severe weather. Flooding, high winds and power outages are creating problems throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Please see below for the most current list of hospital closures and system updates. Unicoi County Hospital update All hospital personnel and patients have been rescued from Unicoi County Hospital. As of 4:15 p.m., no one remains at the facility. Affected patients have been transferred to Johnson City Medical Center, and their families have been updated. The hospital remains closed until further notice. Ballad Health will assess the damage once flood water recedes and provide updates at this time. Sycamore Shoals Hospital closed Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton is evacuating patients and…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 27, 2024, As of 2:30 p.m. TITLE: Severe weather emergency; updates to hospital closures ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Ballad Health has activated its Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) due to issues caused by severe weather. Flooding, high winds and power outages are creating problems throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Please see below for the most current list of hospital closures and system updates. Sycamore Shoals Hospital closed Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton is evacuating patients and suspending operations. Current patients are being transferred to other area hospitals. People who need care in the area should go to the next closest hospital or call 911. Unicoi County Hospital update As of 12:27 pm, 54 people have been relocated to the roof of the building, and seven remain in rescue boats. The hospital has been engulfed by extremely dangerous and rapidly moving water….

This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members on Friday, Sept. 27, at approximately 1:20 p.m. from Ballad Health Chairman and CEO Alan Levine. At 9:38 am on Friday, Sept. 27, Ballad Health received notice from the Unicoi County Emergency Management Agency of a need to evacuate Unicoi County Hospital due to unusually high and rising water from the Nolichucky River. Ballad Health’s Chief Medical Officer for the region was immediately on-scene to supervise the evacuation and the evacuation of 11 patients commenced. Unicoi County leaders deployed ambulances, however, the flooding of the property happened so quickly the ambulances could not safely approach the hospital. Ballad Health Chairman Alan Levine spoke directly with Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) Director Patrick Sheehan at 10:20 a.m., and TEMA immediately worked with local emergency management agencies to deploy boats to help evacuate the hospital. Unfortunately, the water around the hospital, which had also begun intruding inside…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 27, 2024 TITLE: Severe weather emergency; Unicoi County Hospital suspends operations ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. Ballad Health has activated its Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC) due to issues caused by severe weather. Flooding, high winds and power outages are creating problems throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Unicoi County Hospital closed Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin is suspending operations. People who need care in the area should go to the next closest hospital or call 911. The hospital’s 11 patients will be transferred to nearby hospitals. Hospital staff will work with patients and families to notify them about the moves. Elective surgeries postponed All Ballad Health facilities are postponing all elective surgery cases. More details will be released as they develop. Ballad Health Medical Associates clinics Several area clinics and urgent care offices have closed. Please call ahead before seeking care. Questions…

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: March 29, 2023 TITLE: Updated Masking Requirements COVID-19 inpatient cases: 46 COVID-19 patients in ICU: 6 COVID-19 patients on ventilators: 1 COVID-19 pediatric inpatients: 2 Updated Masking Requirements Effective Monday, April 3, Ballad Health will update its masking policy in anticipation of the May 11 expiration of the federal public emergency declaration related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This memo clarifies when and where team members are required to mask. In general, universal masking (source control) will no longer be required in Ballad Health facilities, with the following exceptions: By all team members when directly caring for immunocompromised patients, including all Ballad Health Cancer Centers By any team member who wishes to mask due to personal preference Masks should continue to be worn if a patient requests that the team member mask while providing their care. All individuals are expected to continue to comply with all…

Here is the COVID-19 scorecard for Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. The scorecard is published each Friday.

TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Jan. 17, 2023 TITLE: Masking reminder ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members. COVID-19 inpatient cases: 111 COVID-19 patients in ICU: 22 COVID-19 patients on ventilators: 2 COVID-19 pediatric inpatients: 0 While the flu and RSV are on the decline, COVID-19 cases are on the upswing in the region, including among team members – which impacts staffing and patient care. It is crucial that team members follow Ballad Health guidelines on masking and on staying at home when showing symptoms of being sick, in order to prevent further spread. We also strongly encourage all team members to get the latest COVID booster shot. New COVID subvariant – XBB.1.5 A new COVID subvariant – XBB.1.5 – is surging in the Northeast and is expected to spread nationwide over the coming weeks. It accounts for at least 28% of U.S. cases, according to CDC estimates. World…