Distinctly Montana Magazine

H E A L T H Y, W E L L & F I T S P E C I A L S E C T I O N 65 WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MES- SAGE THAT YOU WANT TO DELIVER TO MONTANANS ABOUT RETURNING TO HEALTHCARE? BENEFIS: Even though processes and procedures in healthcare settings look different because of COVID-19 precautions, the goal of providing safe and effec- tive care remains the same. Our medical providers and nursing staff are continuing to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care—it just might look a little different because everybody is wearing masks or because you're visiting with your pro- vider via a telehealth appoint- ment instead of seeing them in person. BOZEMAN HEALTH: Hospitals and health systems, including Bozeman Health, are doing ev- erything possible to help keep employees, patients, and the community safe and healthy. At Bozeman Health, safety has been our top priority in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is safe to seek care, and we urge Montanans not to delay seeking care. In addition to our emergency departments and urgent care locations (which all have separate waiting rooms for those with respiratory symptoms and those without), our primary care providers and most of our specialty care providers offer telehealth appoint- ments. b2 VirtualCare has 24/7/365 availability, easily accessi- ble via b2VirtualCare.com or by downloading the b2 VirtualCare app on Google Play or Apple App Store. GREAT FALLS CLINIC: We want patients to know and trust that we have measures in place to assure their safety when visiting our healthcare facilities. Don't put your health on hold. Take care of yourself and your family now. WHAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE AROUND RETURNING TO FULL HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS DURING A PANDEMIC? BENEFIS: Benefis has remained as prepared as possible throughout the pandemic, so we have been able to make swift adjustments as COVID initially hit our community as it continues to spread. This is still a new dis- ease, and we are learning more every day. As with other hospitals na- tionally in areas that have expe- rienced COVID surges, we keep a close watch on staffing. The number of patients we're able to care for is directly impacted by the number of staff members available to work at a given time, so we have a well-estab- lished system for tracking those numbers and our employees' health status. BOZEMAN HEALTH: Bozeman Health is committed to our communi- ty's health and well-being and ensuring each health and well- ness need is met. Our biggest challenge has been staffing— from entrance screeners to specimen collectors, house- keeping and environmental services, to phlebotomists and clinical lab scientists, we have openings throughout the health system. If you're looking for a casual call, part-time, or full-time position, whether per- manent or temporary, we hope you'll visit BozemanHealth. org/Careers to find a position that may be right for you. GREAT FALLS CLINIC: The biggest challenge we have faced upfront with COVID-19 was the lo- gistics of appropriate protective equipment and timeliness of COVID-19 testing and results. Now we face a new challenge with staffing changes when staff become ill or their family mem- bers are sick. Staffing may fluctuate if staff with school-age chil- dren experience a school or daycare closure due to COVID-19. As with many healthcare facilities, we have also experienced burnout and fatigue in various departments as well. However, we are proud to note that our staff has gone above and beyond during this pandemic, and we are extremely fortunate and proud. We predict a future challenge to be Montana's flu and cold season, which may make it difficult to distinguish between COVID-19 symptoms and others. BENEFIS HAS REMAINED AS PREPARED AS POSSIBLE throughout the pandemic, so we have been able to make swift adjustments as COVID initially hit our community as it continues to spread. This is still a new disease, and we are learning more every day. BENEFIS HEALTH SYSTEM

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