Ballad Teams, our new mobile app for team members, is becoming our main method of communicating systemwide messages to team members. If you don’t already have Ballad Teams, we highly encourage you to download it. Team member reviews have been extremely positive so far! If you have Ballad Teams, then be on the lookout for some important messages coming your way over the next week or two, in particular regarding our response to the recent surge of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Delta variant. All our Ballad Health News stories appear on Ballad Teams as soon as they’re published. You can see new content by checking the little bell icon at the top right of the app’s main page. If the message is urgent and of high importance, you’ll also receive a “push” on the app, in the form of a short text message alerting you about the topic and linking you to the article. Don’t…

On June 21, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) announced new Emergency Temporary Standards for the healthcare industry that employers must take to protect workers from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). To meet the federal mandate, Ballad Health has taken several steps in the workplace that have been communicated systemwide. As part of the guidelines for protecting workers from the risk of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), all Ballad Health team members, contract employees and employed physicians are required to complete a training CBL by 7 a.m. on Monday, July 26. The CBL can be found by logging into HealthStream. Failure to complete the CBL will result in suspension until the CBL is completed. Click here and here to read more about the OSHA requirements and steps Ballad Health is taking to make the workplace as safe as possible from the risks of COVID-19.

On June 21, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) announced new Emergency Temporary Standards for the healthcare industry that employers must take to protect workers from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). To meet the federal mandate, Ballad Health has taken several steps in the workplace that have been communicated systemwide. As part of the guidelines for protecting workers from the risk of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), all Ballad Health team members, contract employees and employed physicians are required to complete a training CBL by 7 a.m. on Monday, July 26. The CBL can be found by logging into HealthStream. Failure to complete the CBL will result in suspension until the CBL is completed. Click here and here to read more about the OSHA requirements and steps Ballad Health is taking to make the workplace as safe as possible from the risks of COVID-19.

ERWIN, Tenn. – Ballad Health is furthering efforts to make novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines widely accessible and available in the Appalachian Highlands by offering a family vaccination day event on Saturday, June 5, from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at Unicoi County Hospital. The vaccines are available for all community members age 12 and older, and appointments are not required. The follow-up appointment for second doses will be scheduled when people arrive for their shots. Masks are still required in all Ballad Health facilities, which include community vaccination centers (CVCs) and community opportunities such as the family vaccination event. “We are extremely excited to be able to offer this event to Unicoi County and its surrounding communities,” said Loveland Hobson, assistant vice president and administrator of Unicoi County Hospital. “Vaccines are the surest way through the COVID-19 pandemic – and our goal is to make the shots easy to receive and the process as convenient…

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Ballad Health has begun providing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines to all community members ages 12-15, following recent federal approval that extends vaccine eligibility. The Ballad Health community vaccination centers (CVCs) – in Johnson City and Kingsport in Tennessee, and Abingdon and Norton in Virginia – are open for patients ages 12 and older. The first COVID-19 vaccinations given by Ballad Health to those ages 12-15 took place last week at the Kingsport Community Vaccination Center. (Click here to see a WJHL NewsChannel 11 report.) The vaccine has undergone rigorous testing and evaluation and received emergency use authorization by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), approval by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and final guidance and recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Ballad Health, as it has with all COVID-19 vaccine progress and availability, has followed full guidance by federal and regulatory agencies. “We’ve been…

As we continue with vaccinations for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), our Ballad Health clinical staff are sharing their thoughts about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and why it is important to get vaccinated. Here’s a short message from Dr. Mhroos Peters, vice president and chief medical officer at Johnston Memorial Hospital. “I cannot think of one singular, more effective tool that we can all arm ourselves with more than the vaccine to help us fight against the pandemic and hopefully, soon beat it,” Dr. Peters said.  

Following the recent lifting of some public health requirements and national guidance changes regarding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we want to be sure all Ballad Health team members, physicians, vendors and volunteers are apprised of the latest updates to remain safe. Here are a few of the key changes. Daily temperature monitoring is no longer required. All team members should continue to answer and document the screening questions on the log each time they report to work, the same way they did before. Department managers will receive updated logs. Continue to wear a mask while at work. All team members – whether vaccinated or unvaccinated – should continue to wear masks while at work. A well-fitted cloth mask, facemask or respirator for source control is required in all Ballad Health facilities. However, fully vaccinated healthcare workers may dine and socialize together in breakrooms and conduct in-person meetings without masks or physical distancing. If unvaccinated healthcare workers are…

Ballad Health’s Employee Assistance Program has created the Frontline Hotline, a phone hotline supported by a licensed therapist serving as a trained “listening ear” and resource. It opens on Thursday, April 8, and will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. This service provides brief intervention and “psychological first aid” to any Ballad Health team members working on the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) front lines. Frontline Hotline: 423-434-3192 Sessions can be anonymous; however, we do ask for information regarding job title, work location and shift, in order to evaluate and track our services. Why a frontline hotline? In the demanding field of healthcare, stressors are inevitable. From adjusting to unusual hours and extra shifts, to the trauma of losing patients – your job is not easy. The COVID-19 pandemic has created added layers of uncertainty and increased loss, along with deep concern for the well-being of your family and for yourself. Now, more…

As we continue with vaccinations for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), our Ballad Health clinical staff are sharing their thoughts about the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, and why it is important to get vaccinated. Here’s a short message from Linda Shepherd, chief nursing officer and associate administrator at Johnston Memorial Hospital, giving her thoughts and personal experiences with COVID-19 and the vaccine.