Confronting a crisis with teamwork

Of all the moving parts that make up Montage Health, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula has taken the lead in facing a constantly changing pandemic with fierce determination, compassionately caring for our community. The other entities of Montage Health have shown inspiring leadership as well, reaching out to their patients and customers in new and invaluable ways as part of our overall COVID-19 response.

You can’t assemble a crack team in a crisis. They have to be there already — prepared, knowledgeable, and ready to rise to the occasion with selfless heroism — knowing the leadership and infrastructure will be there to support them. That’s what I’ve seen from top to bottom at Montage Health.

— Kathleen Bang, Chair, Montage Health Board of Trustees

At the center of Montage Health’s pandemic response is our hospital. The amount of rapid change that has taken place is extraordinary. Inpatient units closed, non-essential surgeries and procedures rescheduled, visitors restricted, personal protective equipment guidelines revised and reinforced, infection control measures tracked in minute detail, patient protocols revised, critical-care supplies augmented, respiratory triage tent constructed. In the face of a worldwide public health crisis, Community Hospital has limited the risk of exposure, reduced the spread of coronavirus, and unified staff in a shared mission of caring for our community, our friends, our family.

With nearly 60 physicians and other clinicians, Montage Medical Group has provided timely access to care, online and in-person, making a difference in slowing the COVID-19 spread, both in its clinics and at the hospital. In early March, doctors began practicing COVID-specific protocols with patients and offering eVisits, including a free online coronavirus screening tool. Video visits were quickly put into place, allowing patients to “see” their doctors from the comfort and safety of home. By April, doctors were seeing more than 200 patients a day in these virtual visits.

In the middle of the COVID-19 crisis, MoGo Urgent Care opened its doors, providing a critical new link in the healthcare continuum. For those without a doctor, or those who couldn’t get in to see a doctor, MoGo has become an option for those with non-life-threatening conditions. With walk-in visits and reservations online, plus visit-related lab work, X-rays, and medications onsite, it’s smarter, faster urgent care from a trusted source, with locations in Monterey and Marina. A Carmel MoGo will open late this year.

Montage Health thrives in a community that is incredibly generous with its time and resources. When this pandemic began, community members stepped up and asked, “How can we help?” That sentiment prompted a fundraising drive to raise funds for critical resources to keep our community healthy during this crisis. To date, hundreds of generous members of our community have raised over $2 million to support this cause, and continue to support the foundation’s other important work. We couldn’t do what we do without compassionate community members like you.

Backed by Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System, Aspire Health Plan improves access to and coordination of care, while ensuring its Medicare Advantage and commercial health plan members receive the best value through comprehensive health coverage. Aspire has played an important role in communicating with its members — many of whom are in the high-risk categories for COVID-19 — about personal safety measures and telehealth, a 24-hour virtual service available at no extra cost, which provides diagnosis and treatment plans while adhering to social distancing.

We all know there can be barriers to good health — some emotional, some financial, some clinical. Community Health Innovations (CHI) breaks those down by bringing people together with the help they need, whether that’s education, community resources, screenings, or expertise from myriad health professionals. By promoting wellness and improving care, CHI also helps lower healthcare costs for everyone. As we face an unprecedented economic downturn, healthcare will suffer huge financial losses, and finding the way to creatively provide vital care in an efficient way will be one of the most important measures of success for all of us.