Hartford Business Journal

32 Hartford Business Journal • April 27, 2020 • www.HartfordBusiness.com CONNECTICUT HEALTH CARE: LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CRISIS One Hospital Plaza, PO Box 9317, Stamford, CT 06904 | StamfordHealth.org To the Connecticut Business Community: Our vision at Stamford Health is to be the most trusted healthcare partner to the communities we serve. In normal times, earning your trust means taking care of you, your employees and their families, and your customers. In extraor- dinary times, such as the COVID-19 crisis, it means leading the way in saving lives. We have taken every measure to plan ahead to mitigate the risks of this pandemic. Stamford Health was quick to act when COVID-19 appeared, standing up our incident com- mand structure in February. Our staff completed herculean tasks, including outfitting four additional ICUs and nearly doubling the number of beds at Stamford Hospital. We have reached around the globe to obtain needed personal protec- tive equipment (PPE), ventilators, supplies, and around the country for staff. We knew Fairfield County would become an early "hot spot" because of its proximity to New York City, and took steps to prepare. Our doctors, nurses, other care- givers and support staff are working under extraordinary pressure and are bringing every bit of their skill, energy and compassion to caring for those affected by COVID-19 while still meeting non-COVID healthcare needs. You should be proud to know that the health systems and hospitals of Connecticut have come together as one team in the face of this crisis. My fellow CEOs and I have been exchanging information, supplies, equipment, staff, and shar- ing extra capacity. As a hospital currently at the center of this crisis, we at Stamford Health are humbled by and grateful for the willingness of other organizations to share precious resources with us. We are also grateful of the incredible efforts on our behalf of our chambers of commerce, our businesses and the com- munity in general who have given generously in so many ways. We have received tens of thousands of units of PPE, thousands of free staff meals, and extraordinarily generous financial donations as a result of our businesses, friends and neighbors. We have great admiration for the entrepreneurial spirit the companies in this state have shown in ramping up every day to solve problems posed by this virus. Please know that as we work to address the extreme challenges of today, we at Stamford Health continue to plan for the future, when COVID-19 is no longer a threat. Like you, we look forward to getting back to business as usual as the economy recovers. Like you, our revenue has declined sharply, and our expenses have sky- rocketed. However, we are here to take care of you, your families, employees and customers now and when COVID is behind us. Nelson Mandela said "It always seems impossible. Until it's done." With your help, we will see this very difficult challenge through. Sincerely. Kathleen Silard, MS, BSN, RN, FACHE President & Chief Executive Officer Stamford Health

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