How one NY hospital system treated 128,000+ COVID cases | Michael Dowling | Big Think | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Healthcare leaders must prioritize the safety and support of frontline staff, ensure adequate supplies, maintain effective communication, and embrace innovation during times of crisis.

Key Insights

• 🦺 Crisis management in healthcare requires a specific focus on the safety and support of frontline staff.
• ❓ Effective crisis management involves providing necessary resources and assuring their availability.
• 🤗 Maintaining open and constant communication, both internally and externally, is essential during a crisis.
• 🪈 Navigating governmental orders and directives can be challenging, requiring a flexible and adaptive approach.
• ❓ The COVID-19 crisis showcased the ability of healthcare organizations to innovate rapidly.
• 🍳 Maintaining this level of innovation requires breaking down bureaucratic barriers and embracing a culture of innovation.
• 💪 Lessons from the pandemic include the importance of strong leadership, transparency, and optimism.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: How did Northwell Health ensure the safety and wellbeing of their frontline staff during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Northwell Health prioritized staff safety by providing necessary resources, such as masks and personal protective equipment (PPE), and assuring their availability through an efficient supply chain. They also addressed psychological, behavioral, social, and spiritual needs through direct communication and support.

Q: How did Northwell Health maintain effective communication during the crisis?

Communication was crucial both internally and externally. The organization established a clinical advisory group to develop protocols and communicated them through various channels, including letters, videos, the website, and in-person interactions. They also engaged with the media, ensuring transparency, accuracy, and a sense of optimism.

Q: How did Northwell Health navigate the complexities of dealing with government orders and directives during the pandemic?

Northwell Health had to make sense of often contradictory orders and directives from multiple levels of government. They successfully managed this by closely following the leadership of Governor Cuomo, who acted as the quarterback for New York State. They also had to adapt to the lack of coordination between different government entities.

Q: How did Northwell Health embrace innovation during the COVID-19 crisis?

The crisis prompted Northwell Health to innovate rapidly, converting hospitals overnight, building breathing machines into vents, and even manufacturing their own supplies when needed. The key lesson is to maintain this level of innovation beyond the crisis by avoiding excessive bureaucracy, hierarchy, and analysis that may stifle great ideas.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Northwell Health saw nearly 70,000 COVID-19 patients, comprising 22% of all cases in New York, requiring a focus on staff safety and support.

• Effective crisis management involves providing necessary resources, demonstrating caring leadership, fostering a sense of optimism, and maintaining visibility on the front lines.

• Communication, both internal and external, is crucial during a crisis, and governments at different levels must be navigated to make sense of orders and directives.