1/13/22
My #TipOfTheHatTuesday goes to the Sunrise Community Health team.
Exhausted, they continue to lean in to provide affordable access to quality care for all – against staggering odds.
LAST WEEK:
Nearly 800 people walked into Sunrise clinics seeking care - 74% with respiratory issues. That is nearly double our weekly average in 2021 and 2020. We pulled 5 full-time clinicians from primary care to focus solely on respiratory care.
We saw a 36% positivity rate for COVID – much higher than our average for 2020 (22%) and 2021 (11.3%).
We were missing 21% of our team. 35 (11%) of our positions are open, the majority being key support roles such as medical assistants and business support. Since 1/3/22, 49 (14%) team members have isolated at home due to illness or high risk exposure.
We continued with COVID vaccines, hitting our average weekly numbers: 500 in Greeley/Evans and 250 in Loveland.
All on top of the “regular” care found at Sunrise: hypertension, diabetes, asthma, prenatal, wellness, strep, flu, allergies, dental, behavioral health, and so much more.
Given these pressures, we are adjusting operations to maintain services the best we can while ensuring a safe environment for patients and staff. More telehealth will be employed across the Sunrise system. Some in person, non-respiratory visits may shift from Monfort Family Clinic to other Sunrise clinics. Several of our satellite clinic hours will shorten as their staff serves at our larger clinics where respiratory care is heavy. Pharmacy Grab-Go (curbside medication pick-up) will be the only option at Monfort Family Clinic and Loveland Community Health Center to decrease the number of people inside the clinics.
Please be patient as we adjust yet again to these rapidly and ever-changing dynamics. Know we are doing our best to ensure timely and responsive care. Know we are working hard to get services back to “normal.” We feel you - we find all of this exhausting and overwhelming too.
We are ever so grateful for those who are vaccinating, those who are masking, those who are physically distancing and avoiding large crowds... for community leaders who are standing steady, relying on science to make decisions, and setting politics aside to chart a path out of this pandemic... and for businesses who are limiting group sizes, relying on virtual connections, and following good infection protocols.
Health care is the last line of defense in this pandemic - and it is weakened and drained from 22 months of this relentless onslaught. We desperately need everyone’s help to curb the spread of COVID. Please do what you can.