Charles: We are talking to Joan Coffman. She is the head of St. Tammany Health System. When you were, I guess training for this job, was there a pandemic training? Was that Pandemic 101?
Joan: You know, there was no playbook for a pandemic. I will tell you that right away for any of us in the industry right now. However, I cannot say enough about the team here at St. Tammany Health System because when the pandemic hit in March of last year, none of us were prepared. So, what you do is what you think is the right thing, but you also have the wherewithal to adjust as you learn, and I think in healthcare we have all learned a lot since March of last year and made some very different decisions as we have moved forward.
Charles: I guess that is why I asked that question, because you were talking about the misinformation and some of the rumors that are out there. You never want to hear our medical folks say, “Well, this is what we thought at the beginning, now this is what we know.” But that is just the way this has to be. We have never been here before.
Joan: That is correct – and we have been very transparent about that, Charles. I guess that is the sad part for me. You want everybody to trust your healthcare health systems. I think for the most part people do. But there is a subset of the population that really hasn’t been able to establish that trust yet. So, transparency for us is very important. We post our numbers every day. We share it on our website. You know we do things like this with conversation with respected people like yourself to share that message. We are always available to answer questions.
Charles: I know there are some other things we are going to move on to, but is there anything else as far as COVID goes, Joan, that we haven’t talked about?
Joan: Well, I just want to share a couple of things in the spirit of transparency. As we all know, Louisiana has the second-highest COVID infection rate. We have 722 infections per 100,000 in terms of population. I share that with you just to dispel any concerns that our teams are not busy. I want to shore it up with a big shout-out to not only the state, the Louisiana Department of Health, but also Health and Human Services at the federal level, because we are very, very fortunate that right now we have nine paramedics that have been deployed by the federal government to help support our team here at St. Tammany Health System. You will see them in their fatigues working with us in our Emergency Room, our Critical Care Unit, and our infusion suite where we do monoclonal antibody infusion. So, big shout-out to both the state and the federal government for recognizing we are truly a hot spot. We are number four in the number of cases across the state of Louisiana and very grateful to have their support here at our health system.
Then, a second shout-out, to our community Foundation as well as the accolades and gratitude they have bestowed once again on our healthcare heroes in terms of support like food or beverages or snowballs. I mean, just anything that will give our team a boost of hope and feeling valued for the work they are doing.
So, big shout out to the St. Tammany Hospital Foundation and the broader community for that support.
Charles: And, I guess as a way to end it, one of the most unfortunate things about this, or one of the contributing unfortunate things about this, is the fact that everything you do is behind closed doors for a reason. I mean, it is an infectious issue so we don’t see what you are doing. Right? I mean, that is what is so different about this. We are not in the hospital with you watching this go on.
Joan: Yes, and that is a true statement. I get that. You know, when COVID first presented to us last year, we really restricted the flow of the population here. We have done that again, for all the right reasons – just trying to keep the volume down so that the infection rate stayed low within the four walls of our health system. And that does create some concern.
So, what our communications team has done is try to thin that lens of what is happening inside in other ways, and I think they are doing a great job of that.
And, speaking of doing a great job, you know I always like to celebrate my team and one of the things that has recently happened is that our Communication Department has been recognized with the Telly Award for our “Many Reasons” campaign. Tim, you might want to share some of the details around that.
Tim: Yes, I have to say Charles, it has really been an exciting year working in communication, not just because we are on the front line of the COVID pandemic but also, we are really able to show and highlight what we are doing right as a system. And that “Many Reasons” campaign that we did in partnership with Brand Society down in New Orleans is just that: Showing many reasons why St. Tammany is best on the Northshore and beyond. So, shoutout, of course, to Melissa Hodgson, Mike Scott, Jan Budenz and the whole team that allows us to do what we do well.
Charles: Well, congratulations for that. That is a big deal.
Joan: And Charles, speaking of my team. I guess I would also want to give a big shout-out to the entire team. We have been recognized by the U.S. News & World Report in five different areas this time, and I will tell you what those areas are, but we are so impressed to be recognized in this way. Historically, we have had one or at most two recognitions by this organization, but this time we have been recognized in five areas. They include COPD, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and then back surgery. So, a prestigious honor and recognition to our entire team.
Charles: Well, you are certainly ending the interview on a very highbrow level after I started somewhere else. I feel good about the way this has gone. Is there anything else, Joan, that I should have asked or that we should have covered but we have not?
Joan: I do want to make just one other comment, if I have just a second. You know, as Tim alluded to, the pandemic really hasn’t stopped our strategic vision. And, as a community hospital, we are always trying to aspire to that next level of care and service. We talked last time we were together about the autism certification that St. Tammany had. I just want to share that we now have earned a geriatric certification. About 30% of our patients that come through our Emergency Department are classified in that geriatric population, and what the certification recognized is specialized training for the geriatric population on meeting environmental criteria, easy patient access, mobility, geriatric quality improvement. Those sorts of things that are so important in managing that population on a day-to-day basis. So, big shout-out to both our main campus and our free-standing ED for receiving such an extraordinary certification.
Charles: Alright, good stuff. Yes, that is good news and as always, we are certainly glad when we get a few minutes of your time. I hope that everything is well in your world and thank you so much for the visit.
Joan: You bet. Stay safe and healthy, and thank you.