TO: Ballad Health All FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Feb. 16, 2022 TITLE: Implementation of Contingency Staffing ACTION: Please post and cascade to all team members.   Due to a decrease in community and team member transmission of COVID-19, Ballad Health will return to contingency staffing, effective Wednesday, Feb. 16. Contact tracing will also resume. This downgrades our system from the previous level – Crisis Standards of Care; Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages – that was in effect through Feb. 15. Contingency staffing is applied when staffing shortages are occurring or are expected due to quarantine measures. The contingency guidelines apply to areas that are not high risk. High-risk areas, such as cancer centers and oncology units, Hospitots and the Niswonger Children’s Network, will follow conventional guidelines when determining if COVID-19 positive team members can return to work. Key points to know about contingency staffing: All team members who test positive for COVID-19 must…

NOTE: This message was emailed on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021, from Alan Levine, Ballad Health chairman and chief executive officer, to all Ballad Health team members.   Good morning: As you know, in early September, President Biden announced his intention to utilize federal agencies and their regulatory power over private businesses and health care institutions to enforce a mandate for vaccinating employees and, in the case of hospitals, anyone coming into connection with these institutions. This sweeping effort is the first time the federal government has ever taken such a step. On Oct. 26, I testified before the United States Congress and shared my concern about the use of sweeping federal powers to force a nationwide mandate. I argued that a “one size fits all approach” does not respect cultural differences throughout regions of the country, and failure to respect those cultural differences could do more harm than good in terms of educating people about the benefits…

With the first deadline looming for team members to meet the federal COVID-19 vaccination mandate, we’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions about team member vaccination status, offering more details to help you make your vaccination decision. Click here to view the FAQs in PDF format, located on our COVID-19 Vaccine Resource Center for team members, or see the questions below in the body of this article. The deadline for first-dose vaccinations is Sunday, Dec. 5, 2021. All team members must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4, 2022 – unless you have an approved medical or religious exemption. The exemption deadline has passed. Exemption submissions were due by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Also note that our POD (points of dispensing) schedule for vaccinations has been updated, and PODs at all five of our hospital locations WILL BE OPEN on Sunday, Dec. 5, from noon to 3 p.m. Click here to view the new…

With the announcement of a federal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandate for healthcare organizations, and creation of the subsequent Ballad Health policy about the federal ruling, we’ve put together a web page for team members containing various resources about the vaccine, including frequently asked questions, team member updates and scientific studies. The page can be found here on Balladhealthnews.org at www.balladhealthnews.org/covid-19-vaccine-resource-center, accessible from any device 24/7. We will update the page with new resources or updated Q&As as they become available. Thank you for your compliance with the mandate, and thank you for the tremendous work all team members do every day.  

Note: This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members on Thursday, Nov. 11. Dear colleagues, As we all learned last week, pursuant to orders from President Joe Biden, the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new rule requiring that hospitals and other health care organizations which participate in Medicare and Medicaid require their physicians, team members, volunteers, students, interns, vendors and any other individual who may come into contact with other individuals within the work setting to become vaccinated by one of the approved COVID-19 vaccines. This means, beginning Jan. 4, all Ballad Health team members must be fully vaccinated, unless you have an approved medical or religious exemption. This new rule is far-reaching and the implications are very serious for hospitals and health systems.  Non-compliance by hospitals will lead to significant fines and, ultimately, termination from federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Given that…

NOTE: This message was emailed to all Ballad Health team members on Thursday, Nov. 4. Dear Colleague: This morning, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new rule which mandates COVID-19 vaccines for any hospital, home health agency, long-term care facility and certain other health care providers. We are in the process of evaluating the rule and the impact it may have on Ballad Health. Upon initial review, it is clear the only exceptions to all team members, students, residents and anyone contracted with Ballad Health being vaccinated are for medical or religious reasons. The mandate is very far-reaching, and will impact our partner colleges and universities as well as vendors and others who have contact with our facilities. Prior to establishing our policy, we will be consulting with our Regional Ethics committee, which includes individuals from various backgrounds, including physician, clergy, nursing and community members. It is important we receive input…

  JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alan Levine served as an expert witness and testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health on Tuesday, expressing his concern about the challenges we face as a rural healthcare system. Levine spoke via live video feed from his office at Ballad Health’s corporate headquarters. His remarks centered around concerns for the ability of Ballad Health – and many other health systems across the nation – to continue providing high-quality care despite a nursing shortage that is made worse by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. He called it “an emerging national crisis.” The Subcommittee was conducting a legislative hearing titled “Caring for America: Legislation to support Patients, Caregivers, and Providers,” and several pieces of legislation that could ease the burden on hospitals were under consideration. Levine was one of seven expert witnesses who provided testimony during…

Ballad Health team members who received the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) booster shot may see an accompanying charge listed on their account in MyChart. Please disregard this charge, as team members will not be billed for receiving the COVID-19 booster shot, and this charge will be adjusted off. We apologize for any inconvenience.

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – A month after a sharp increase in novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in the Appalachian Highlands prompted Ballad Health to postpone all elective and non-emergent surgeries, the health system is now preparing to resume some procedures. Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 29, Ballad Health hospitals is once again providing some elective surgeries that do not require overnight stays. Patients are currently being contacted by their providers’ offices to schedule procedures, and capacity at each facility is determined by individual hospitals’ staffing and space availability. “This summer, we had to prepare for high volume of COVID-19 patients and plan for a worst-case scenario, which unfortunately required us to curtail some services,” said Eric Deaton, Ballad Health’s chief operating officer and incident commander of its Corporate Emergency Operations Center (CEOC). “Given the limitations on available staffing, it was necessary to take these steps to ensure the safest possible environment for our patients and team members. “We are grateful for everyone’s…

TO: Ballad Health ALL FROM: Ballad Health Corporate Emergency Operations Center DATE: Sept. 24, 2021 TITLE: COVID-19 vaccine booster shots  available to all team members   Now that Pfizer’s COVID-19 Vaccine booster has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Ballad Health will offer a booster shot to team members beginning Monday, Sept. 27. The FDA and CDC have authorized a single booster dose for: people 65 years of age and older; residents of long-term care settings; individuals ages 50 through 64 at high risk of severe COVID-19; those who are ages 18 to 49 with underlying medical conditions; and people ages 18 through 64 whose frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2 puts them at high risk of serious complications of COVID-19 including severe COVID-19. These recommendations mean that all Ballad Health team members and credentialed providers are eligible to receive a booster.  …

With our patient volumes at a critical level due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) surge, Ballad Health continues to seek current team members to step in and provide nonclinical support for our frontline team members in a paid role through our Helping Hands program. These duties may be in addition to your existing Ballad Health role or, in some cases, if you and your current supervisor agree, may be filled during your current work schedule/fulltime employment. Please fill out new online form posted to the intranet As part of this recruitment process, we’ve created a new online form available on the Ballad Health intranet. It is located on the left side under “Quick Links” listed as “Helping Hands Form.” Important note: You must be on a Ballad Health network device to access the intranet site. This form collects information on your availability, location preferences and positions for which you are unable to assist. Please fill out this…