05/07/2020
A แดแดssแดษขแด าสแดแด แดแดส CEO, Aสสแดษดแด Hแดสแดs:
I have been asked to make a statement to the recent Blankenship interview produced by Thrive Time, and although I'm choosing not to respond directly, I do have some comments that I think are important to share. There is a team of people in the Valley that I'm proud and humbled to be a part of and this team has been working together daily including weekends for the past two months to both minimize the spread of COVID and to make sure that the health and welfare of our communities are top priority in any decisions being made. I'm not minimizing the value and commitment of the front-line health care workers, but these individuals are my unsung heroes that donโt get a lot of praise and recognition for what accomplishments have been made through this pandemic period. They are aware of the full picture of what is being done daily to protect the Valley residents. It's not our first time together, we've worked through other incidents that placed the San Luis Valley at risk, such as floods, fires, water contamination by Salmonella, loss of communications, loss of electricity and H1N1 influenza, but this one continues to be even more challenging both physically and emotionally than any others including H1N1 influenza. I cannot begin to list every one of my partners individually, but it is administration from all three hospitals, Clinics, Public Health, Behavioral Health, County emergency managers, commissioners, All Hazards team members, EMS, Nursing homes and residential homes, SLV Health Care Coalition, Social Services, and many others. Most of us are meeting daily, and I have to say that all of us are working harder in our jobs than ever before because of the commitment of this team to each other and to the Valley communities. I believe I can say without a doubt that we are all compelled by integrity and commitment and that no one is doing anything fraudulent, including coding to benefit from this COVID crisis. I can definitely say that Rio Grande Hospital has not experienced financial gain but just the opposite during this crisis. I am thankful every day to be a part of a group committed to fighting this hardship, both for our health and economic well-being. We are SLV-Strong and will get through this, but as a team, not necessarily agreeing with every decision made by different organizations but as a group committed to the safety and well-being of our communities.
Please stay safe, and remember we are here for you all.
Arlene
#๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ช๐๐จ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฎ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐ช๐ผ
