President's message: December 2021
Dear Colleagues:
As the year comes to a close, I’d like to wish each and every one of you a happy and healthy Holiday Season. May you enjoy this special time with your friends and family and relax, rejuvenate, and celebrate the close of a meaningful year. We accomplished a lot this year through amazing teamwork and dedication, and we have continued to achieve high patient satisfaction and quality scores, currently ranking NEMG in the 94th percentile among outpatient medical practices nationally.
In November, we were pleased to share very positive results for our FY2021 NEMG Community Performance Incentive Plan (PIP). PIP results were measured in four areas of performance: safety and quality, patient experience, employee engagement, and financial performance. On Dec. 2, employees were awarded a payout of 3 percent out of a potential 3 percent of eligible earnings. Well done!
In keeping with the theme of the holidays, let us reflect on what we’re grateful for this season. For me, I am thankful for the strides we are making, as a society, to reemerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and the major milestones that we, as a system, have achieved, to support that goal.
In December 2020, we administered our first vaccines, internally. Since that time over 54,000 vaccinations – comprised of Johnson & Johnson, and doses one and two of Moderna and Pfizer – as well as over 9,600 boosters, have been issued to active system employees.
Even more encouraging, of the total number of NEMG employees, only four had to leave for non-compliance with the mandate and/or exemption process. My sincere gratitude to all for your commitment to protecting yourself, our patients, and your loved ones.
The number of people who have been vaccinated across the State of CT continues to grow each day. Throughout 2021, NEMG opened a total of eight vaccination sites across its locations, with our 112 Quarry Road location serving as the pilot for the system’s efforts. Additionally, we opened vaccination centers at the University of New Haven and Mohegan Sun to assist in vaccinating their populations. System-wide, we have administered over 400,000 vaccinations to the public.
In late July, NEMG also added rapid PCR testing for COVID-19, the flu, RSV and Strep in 10 sites that included our walk-in and pediatric practices to symptomatic patients. The test gives an accurate result within 45 minutes. Through the end of FY21, over 2,400 tests were run. That number is astounding.
As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, I am impressed every day by both the perseverance and dedication to great care provided by our clinicians and staff. For 22 months we have tirelessly taken care of our patients and their families, often with the recognition of increased risk to ourselves. And we continue to do so as each wave of COVID appears. Despite the recent uptick in admissions at our hospitals, we have had nearly 14,400 discharges to date, and I am very proud of that number. My thanks to you all!
In addition to all of the attention surrounding COVID-19, it is more important than ever to encourage patients to get their flu vaccination. Each year in the United States, the flu sickens over 30 million people and hospitalizes over 200,000. Less than half of the U.S. population receives a flu vaccination annually. The best prevention against getting the flu is immunization.
Your physical and emotional well-being are top priority. I encourage all of you to take part in our voluntary, confidential well-being check-ins available to all clinicians and staff. Anyone interested is asked to schedule an appointment.
We are all in this together. To help navigate this challenging time, I urge you to take advantage of the following resources:
- The Employee and Family Resources program offers confidential counseling.
- A variety of helpful options can be found at www.achievesolutions.net/ynhhs.
For more information about COVID-19, please visit the following:
Please visit the intranet for the most up-to-date information.(in network only).
Thank you again for your diligent work and commitment to our patients and NEMG through FY2021 and into our new fiscal year.
Keep well and safe and enjoy a wonderful holiday season. My very best to all of you!
Sincerely,
Richard Goldstein, MD, PhD, MHCM
Interim President and Chief Medical Officer
Northeast Medical Group
