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www.HartfordBusiness.com • April 27, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 33 CONNECTICUT HEALTH CARE: LEADERSHIP IN A TIME OF CRISIS On April 4th 2020, one of UConn Health's doctors sent me a picture of a "Public Notice" that D.W Sutherland, Mayor of the City of Kelowna, British Columbia issued regarding the viral pandemic. The notice stated, "Notice is hereby given that in order to prevent the spread … , all Schools public and private, Churches, Theatres, Moving Picture Halls, Pool Rooms and other places of amusement, and lodge meetings are closed until further notice. All public gatherings of ten or more are prohibited." This notice, as you may have suspected, did not pertain to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic we are facing today. The Mayor of Kelowna issued it on October 19th 1918 more than 100 years ago amidst what was called at the time the Spanish flu, or the 1918 flu pan - demic. So the bad news is that albeit with a different virus, much of what we are experiencing now has happened before, validat- ing the saying by the 1967 Pulitzer Prize winning author William Durant, "So the story of man runs in a … circle, because he is not yet master of the earth that holds him." The good news however is that because it has happened before there are insights, lessons, and even reassurances to be gained. As the 18th century Irish statesman Edmund Burke, once said, "In history a great volume is unrolled for our instruction, drawing the future wisdom from the past errors and infirmities of mankind." So what can we learn from a similar pandemic of the past? The most important and overarching lesson is that we will overcome this pandemic and emerge stronger than ever; the indomitable- ness and resilience of our human spirit will prevail. According to some experts, the 1918 flu pandemic infected up to 500 million people, about a quarter of the world's population at the time, and caused the tragic deaths of between 1-6% of all who were in - fected. And yet since then the world's population has quadrupled, the modern auto and airline industries were born, we landed a man on the moon, and we experienced the digital revolution. We also evolved modern medicine to more effectively combat today's pandemic. For example UConn Health, Connecticut's only public university medical center is equipped with the latest in emergency care including a Covid-19 "patient evaluation tent" outside our emergency department, a dedicated area within our emergency department, a drive through testing center, multiple negative pressure rooms and even two biocontainment units. We have increased our number of ventilators and intensive care unit beds for a possible surge, and most importantly we have the amazing infectious disease, pulmonology, hospitalists, critical care, nursing, respiratory therapy and other staff necessary to keep you as well as possible. We have also implemented policies to ensure that if you visit us we will keep you as safe as possible. For example everyone who enters our buildings is screened for a fever and asked questions about Covid-19 risk factors. In addition everybody on our Farmington campus or satellite sites including patients, and employees must wear a mask at all times. If your medical need isn't urgent our doctors will conduct your visit by either telephone or video to help you stay at home and stay safe. Both the 1918 flu pandemic and today's Covid-19 pandemic teach us that resilience is only one of the powerful attributes that will help us overcome today's challenges. Two others are kindness and courage. Last week, I saw this generosity of spirit and courage firsthand at UConn John Dempsey Hospital. I watched as the nurses, doctors, residents, other providers and employees lined the 3rd floor medical unit and corridors all the way to the elevators and applauded a 47 year old man as he was wheeled out. The man was the first Covid-19 positive patient who had been admitted to our hospital and placed on a ventila - tor. He was being discharged home in good health to his wife following a 22 day hospital stay. All the employees who had looked after him night and day, at risk to themselves, were clap- ping and celebrating his recovery; the patient was clapping back and weeping with gratitude; many employees were equally emo- tional. These employees and all the other healthcare workers and first-responders across our state are the real heroes. They show up every day, risk their health to save ours then celebrate, sometimes even to the point of crying when we recover. The least we can do (and a task I consider my sacred commit - ment as the UConn Health CEO) is to protect these heroes as they work. At UConn Health we are currently able to provide the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to protect our employees but supplies of the following are limited: If you are able to help, I and the staff at UConn Health would be very grateful. You can do so here: https://health.uconn.edu/ coronavirus/ppe-donations/. You can also make a charitable gift to support the fight against COVID-19. Finally I would like to thank everyone in the community who has sent words of thanks, food, donations of PPE, and financial gifts to UConn Health as we battle Covid-19. In hospitals we often talk about "the communities we serve" but this pandemic has reminded us that hospitals and their healthcare workers are not separate from the communities we serve. We are part of those communities and they are part of us. For example just like members of the community over 50 of our employees contract - ed Covid-19 and many more had to stay home on quarantine due to exposure. The shutdown of businesses, the stay at home order, the closure of schools and daycares affects our employees as it does any member of the community. And even the anxiety that the pandemic has caused affects healthcare workers just like anyone else. So we are one with the people of Connecticut and one with you. Together we will defeat the Coronavirus. Thank You. Andrew Agwunobi, M.D., M.B.A. Chief Executive Officer, UConn Health Executive Vice President for Health Affair 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030 | Health.UConn.edu | p: (860) 679 2594 f: (860) 679 1255

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