A letter to patients from Jeffrey A. Flaks, Hartford HealthCare President and Chief Executive Officer (shown above, center, with Gov. Ned Lamont, left):
Dear Hartford HealthCare Patient:
I hope you and those you love are healthy and safe. Connecticut continues to fare well with the coronavirus, with low rates of infection and transmission.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many states, especially in the southeastern part of the U.S. — and recently, nearby. Our neighbor, Rhode Island, was just added to Connecticut’s quarantine list due to a growing infection rate.
Staying safe requires us all to do our part and continue to take this threat seriously. This requires a sense of humility, humanity and urgency.
Humility, because we must admit there’s a lot we don’t yet know about this virus. But we now know with absolute scientific certainty that wearing face masks in public, practicing distancing, quarantining when appropriate, and disinfecting work. Humanity, because with these behaviors each of us can do our part to protect others’ lives and wellbeing. Urgency, because it’s simply human nature to grow lax and let clinically proven safety measures lapse.
Across Hartford HealthCare, our Medical Group physicians are providing a useful one-page handout of ways to stay safe and well. Patients will get this set of reminders along with their after-visit summary during any office visit. You don’t need to have an appointment, though; just download it here.
It’s just one way we can do our part.
At Hartford HealthCare, we’re here to help people — one patient, one client, one customer at a time. During this pandemic, we’ve found new and meaningful ways to provide care — always innovating, refusing to be daunted by challenges.
One example of how we’re available to you is COVID-19 testing. Hartford HealthCare has built what amounts to a full-service virus testing company. We staff this program with more than 150 colleagues and provide convenient testing at eight drive-through locations throughout the state. So far, we have provided more than 160,000 COVID-19 tests — one-fifth of the number of tests performed in the entire state. Learn more any time and see our testing locations here.
Additionally, we have deployed five mobile testing units, providing crucial screening for people in underserved communities, including houses of worship, homeless shelters and food pantries.
I am so proud of my 30,000 colleagues and what they’re doing for the people across Connecticut and beyond whom we cared for. Consider these results; each statistic represents a person and our opportunity to make a moment matter for that individual. Those moments add up:
- More than 250,000 virtual care visits, including more than 8,000 people who have never before been a patient of Hartford HealthCare.
- More than 115,000 calls to our 24/7 Community Care Center hotline (1.833.621.0600), including nearly 1,100 people who reached out to our emotional support line staffed by the Behavioral Health Network.
- Nearly 30,000 users of 3 million views of our media briefings and information segments on social media since mid-March.
- Nearly 8,000 people used on convenient online COVID-19 screener to identify symptoms and learn how to stay safe.
Those are just a few of the ways we’re stepping up, reaching out and providing care and factual information to the people and communities we serve when they need us most.
We continue to strive for world-class healthcare in our communities. Just last week, Hartford Hospital was again ranked No. 1 in the Hartford Metro Area and among the best hospitals in Connecticut for 2020-21 by U.S. News & World Report, and also ranked high-performing for orthopedics at the Bone & Joint Institute , and eight specialty procedures. Our transplant program and our Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute also received accolades from the American Heart Association and the National Association of Orthopaedic Nurses, respectively.
You have my promise that every one of us at Hartford HealthCare is committed to making a difference every day — one patient, one client, one customer at a time. It adds up to being most trusted for personalized coordinated care in new and different ways.
Thank you, and please stay safe and well.
Jeffrey A. Flaks
Hartford HealthCare
President and Chief Executive Officer
Not feeling well? Call your healthcare provider for guidance and try to avoid going directly to an emergency department or urgent care center, as this could increase the chances of the disease spreading.
Click here to schedule a virtual visit with a Hartford HealthCare-GoHealth Urgent Care provider.
Stay with Hartford HealthCare for everything you need to know about the coronavirus threat. Click here for information updated daily.
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