By Timothy J. Babineau
Wherever and whenever you are reading this, the world seems a much smaller place than it was just a few short weeks ago. The change has been stunning and unprecedented.
When I first saw the Johns Hopkins map documenting the COVID-19 outbreak back in January, there were fewer than 3,000 people infected in mainland China — half a world away from us. By the time you are reading this there will likely be more than 250,000 cases worldwide and more than 10,000 in the U.S. Maybe more.
Back in January when news of the outbreak first began to circulate, Lifespan immediately began preparing for the reality in which we find ourselves today.
Countless teams have literally been working around the clock to ensure that we will be here when our patients and families need us — no matter the circumstances. Our leaders and frontline staff have embraced the notion of the importance of a teamwork approach to this crisis — and I am enormously proud of all their efforts.
We are fortunate to have some of the world’s foremost experts on this type of crisis on staff at Lifespan. Their names are too numerous to mention but I look forward to the day when this crisis has passed and I can recognize each by name.
The impact of the corona-virus has become very local, very quickly. This changes everyone’s perspective and everyone’s responsibilities. We have been working in extremely close partnership with all our state and local leaders and the Department of Health. Thanks to Gov. Gina Raimondo and Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott’s extraordinary leadership, Rhode Island is among the best positioned states in the country in managing this crisis. I am grateful for their efforts.
As the state’s largest healthcare system — and provider of unique, lifesaving services such as our trauma center, cancer center, cardiac center and children’s hospital to name just a few — we take our role in helping curtail the spread of the virus extremely seriously.
As such, we have the dual responsibility of following all the state mandates regarding social distancing while ensuring that we maintain staffing levels to protect our patients and our workforce. It is not an easy balancing act, but it is one that we are committed to achieving.
The central incident command center at the state and the Lifespan command centers at each of our hospitals are coordinating and providing resources and information where they are most needed. It is not an understatement to say that we are at war with this outbreak and our thinking and actions have taken on a war-like feel.
The Lifespan community, like many other communities, is coming together to support one another and help ensure that staff can continue to provide care in the face of logistical challenges from school and child care closures.
All 15,000 employees at Lifespan, along with more than 2,000 physician partners fully recognize the unique role they play in this crisis and have placed their professional responsibilities ahead of personal worries — although not easy, that is what they have been trained to do.
Rhode Island should be reassured that Lifespan will do everything humanly possible to be here to care for patients in the weeks and months to come. Lifespan’s professionals have not been caught off guard by this crisis — we are as prepared as anyone in the country.
It is my humble opinion, based on discussions with a variety of leaders and experts, that we are likely in the very early stages of this rapidly evolving outbreak. We know that we are likely to see a continuous rise in COVID-19 cases over the next weeks and perhaps months.
These are the times that reveal the true character of organizations and people. I am truly humbled by the character the team at Lifespan is demonstrating. The professionals at Lifespan are doing an incredible job of caring for the community and I’m tremendously proud and grateful for it.
Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., is president and chief executive officer of Lifespan.