Beebe delivers needed care to community during snowstorm
After Darren Camper, PTA, finished a home health visit with a patient Jan. 7, he grabbed a shovel.
The patient he had just visited near Georgetown, which reportedly received up to 12 inches of snow, needed to leave their home later that day for treatment, so Camper cleared a path to ensure they could be safely transported to their dialysis appointment.
Camper, a physical therapy assistant with Beebe Home Health, was one of 28 team members on the road Tuesday, visiting nearly 150 patient homes. On Monday, seven team members visited almost 30 homes of the highest-priority patients who needed care.
“This is just one of the many examples of the dedicated team members who have cared for the community of the past 72 hours,” said Danielle Socrates, vice president of value-based care, who served as the incident commander starting Dec. 4, when Beebe began preparing and planning for the incoming severe weather.
A command center at Beebe’s Lewes campus was opened Dec. 5, and ran nearly 24 hours a day filled with various department leaders from nursing, emergency management, human resources, communications and executive leadership. In addition, leaders across the health system in various departments also stepped up to check on team member safety, fill in coverage gaps, work extra hours, support the command center and even shovel snow if needed.
Environmental services and dietary team members worked double shifts. On-call operating room teams and many other clinicians stayed overnight at the hospital to be ready for patients. Registration teams checked in patients and were redeployed across locations when their colleagues determined they could not safely come in. Facility teams worked around the clock to ensure safe pathways and parking lots for care sites that opened. Multiple teams conducted virtual visits so patients did not have to delay care.
“We are just so grateful to so many,” Socrates said. “Hundreds of team members reported to care locations across Sussex County to provide medically necessary care for patients in need.”
Of note, 29 procedures were completed between the Specialty Surgical Hospital and the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus, in addition to a number of stress tests, echocardiograms and cardiac catheterizations Dec. 6. More than 50 patients received infusions and treatment at Tunnell Cancer Center and South Coastal Cancer Center that day. Also, over 200 virtual primary care appointments and more than 150 walk-in care visits took place Dec. 6 and 7.
Even during the peak of the storm Monday, more than 200 imaging tests were conducted between the hospitals and Bookhammer Outpatient Surgery Center. Of the 45 that occurred at Bookhammer, a few tests showed significant findings that will require immediate, potentially lifesaving follow-up care.
“Thank you to everyone who helped Beebe Healthcare meet our responsibilities as a local, nonprofit community healthcare system. Whether you came in or could not due to the weather, we are all together and united in this mission,” said David A. Tam, MD, MBA, CPHE, FACHE, Beebe Healthcare president and CEO. “This snowstorm challenged our leaders to maintain necessary healthcare services while ensuring the safety of patients and staff. We will be better prepared for future weather events, and it emphasizes the importance of local healthcare leadership that understands its community. Whether it is a snowstorm or the devastating wildfires in Southern California, local health systems are critical to ensuring the integrity of the community fabric.”
Tam said, “There’s a strong sense of community at Beebe, and our dedication to caring for patients and helping each other. I want to thank everyone and the community for their grateful messages. They mean so much to our team. It’s our privilege to provide care in Sussex County.”
