Joe Frank, interim president of Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center, sent the following email to employees on Dec. 22.
Although December marks the end of the year, it in no way signals the end of the great successes happening at Penn State Health St. Joseph, even as the pandemic looms large over all we do.
We recently learned that St. Joseph Medical Center, as well as Hershey Medical Center and Holy Spirit Medical Center, earned an “A” in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This national distinction recognizes our achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. It is a direct reflection of your hard work and commitment to our mission. Not only did we show significant improvement in our score since the spring survey, but we also moved ahead of Reading Hospital, which scored a “B.”
Our ability to deliver safe care has solidified our position as the go-to provider for COVID-19 testing in Berks County. In the 10 months since the virus took hold in the U.S., we have administered more than 45,000 COVID-19 tests in the hospital and at our campus testing locations. That number represents nearly 10% of the Berks County population. We also received a shipment of the COVID vaccine on Dec. 17, and within a day began inoculating staff – a milestone we hope marks the beginning of the end of the pandemic that has dominated America for the past year.
On Dec. 21, we relocated our drive-thru COVID-19 testing site from the Bern Township campus to a dedicated location across the highway at 2493 MacArthur Road. With expanded hours from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, we continue to ensure easy access to testing. The drive-thru has operated continuously since late March. I’m forever grateful to the staff who have weathered the elements of all four seasons to deliver this service to the Berks community. I also want to thank those of you who have adjusted your schedules and accommodated a redirect of patients into your areas, as we have stood up our capabilities to provide inpatient care for both the post-Thanksgiving and, inevitably, the post-holiday surge.
Although our continuing response to COVID is top of mind, we are also focused on our ability to deliver quality care that meets the needs of our community. That effort includes recruiting new providers for both the medical center and our primary and specialty care clinics. In coordination with the medical group, I am personally interviewing candidates to guarantee we hire people who share our values and understand our mission. To date in fiscal year 2021, we have hired 20 providers, including Dr. Tobias Long, a plastic surgeon who will deliver a much-needed emphasis on cosmetic surgery when he joins us in February.
Our senior leadership team will also expand with the January addition of Jim Bennett as vice president and chief operating officer. In this role, he will work with surgical services and medical staff leadership on physician recruitment, case volume growth and surgical process improvement. He also will oversee the clinical departments related to surgery and, over time, add operational departments. Together with Dr. Jeffrey Held, Sharon Strohecker and other members of the senior leadership team, he will help develop our clinical and operational initiatives, particularly as we emerge from the shadow of COVID during the next six months.
Jim started his career as a nurse at Hershey Medical Center before serving in a variety of administrative roles in surgical specialties and outpatient and ambulatory facilities. Some of you may know him from his time as CEO of the Surgical Institute of Reading or administrator of the Hershey Outpatient Surgery Center. Even so, I suggest you take a moment to say hello to him as he circulates through our campuses and outpatient locations and welcome him to St. Joseph.
In lieu of our regular holiday meal, this year we have chosen to distribute free turkeys to all staff working in the Berks region. While it won’t replace the fellowship and fun of an in-person celebration, it is the safest way to show our thanks and gratitude for all you do, including the recent staff support of three worthy community organizations that Mission and Ministry organized during this holiday season. Your generosity exemplifies the compassion St. Joseph’s brings to health care each and every day.
It really is very humbling to be involved with so many incredibly talented and dedicated staff who advance the mission of St. Joseph each day, in everything you do. I want to reiterate the gratitude the St. Joseph board of directors and the senior leadership team has for your commitment to our patients and to the health and well-being — in body, mind and spirit — of the entire Berks community.
I wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and hope you take comfort in believing that 2021 promises to be a better year.
Joe Frank
Interim President
Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center