In The Media Archive

Marianne Udow-Phillips offers insights on complex hospital staffing issues during the COVID-19 crisis

A Michigan healthcare worker holding a paper heart.

As hospitals and health systems across Michigan scramble to address a surge in COVID-19 patients, there is competition over the short supply of highly sought-after critical care nurses – driving up labor costs and pulling some Michigan nurses away from their regular jobs to take higher-paying temporary positions. In “Michigan nurses getting fat pay raises or pink slips in coronavirus crisis,” Bridge Magazine takes an in-depth look at this trend and related hospital staffing issues that have a direct impact on the ability of hospitals and caregivers to manage the coronavirus caseload across Michigan.

The article notes that in some cases, Michigan critical care nurses are being lured out of state by lucrative offers from hospitals in other regions, and some Michigan hospitals are seeking staffing help from other states and health systems that are not currently as over-burdened by the coronavirus crisis. Even as some hospitals are in a bidding war to hire critical care nurses for coronavirus care, Bridge Magazine’s Kelly House notes that other health care workers are losing their jobs as elective procedures, planned surgeries, and outpatient medical services are being cancelled during the pandemic.

“As the coronavirus pandemic leaves a trail of devastation in Michigan, it is also defying the laws of health care workforce supply and demand, creating a maddening musical chairs of labor, forcing executives to adjust in real-time, and fueling frustrations among some workers who say they’re tired of being called heroes but treated like pawns,” House writes.

The perplexing circumstance of health care workers losing their jobs during a health crisis has led to calls for retraining so that those workers can assist on the front lines. “But retraining workers in the midst of a pandemic could prove tricky, said Marianne Udow-Phillips, founding executive director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan and a former director of the Michigan Department of Human Services. “You’ve got everybody deployed to the front lines and you don’t have the capacity to do that kind of training,” Udow-Phillips said. “But it’s a lesson learned for what we could do to prepare for the future.” Udow-Phillips also notes that policy changes at the state and federal level could help Michigan and other states be better prepared for future pandemics.

READ THE FULL BRIDGE MAGAZINE ARTICLE HERE

–Summary by Benjamin Kohrman.

PPE supply shortages aren’t helped by halting abortions writes Dr. Jen Villavicencio

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented challenges for healthcare systems around the world. Lack of medical supplies, particularly PPE, has become a major problem, prompting some to recommend stopping non-essential medical services, like abortions. However, halting abortions may not be an effective solution.

Jen Villavicencio, a Michigan Medicine OB-GYN, and CHRT Health Policy Fellow, in a Bridge Magazine op-ed that responds to calls to shut down abortion clinics to preserve personal protection equipment writes “On any given day, I deliver babies, screen for cancer, provide urgent consultation in emergency rooms, perform complex surgeries, and provide abortion care,”.

“As a board-certified OB-GYN, I know the necessary resources involved in the practice of medicine. And as someone providing essential health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, someone who has volunteered to be “deployed” outside of my specialty to coronavirus wards and field hospitals, I am deeply committed to excellent stewardship of resources.

Political groups working to ban abortion argue that health centers providing abortions should be “shut down” to preserve critical personal protective equipment (PPE). As a doctor actively caring for patients during this pandemic, I understand how desperately important access to appropriate PPE is — I need it to protect my life and the lives of my family. I also know that stopping abortion care in Michigan will do absolutely nothing to improve the PPE shortage….”

READ VILLAVICENCIO’S OP-ED HERE

Public Health Work has Never Been More Important

“In the world of public health, so many of our days are spent working behind the scenes — preventing disease, protecting health and the environment, preparing for disasters — that we often say the best outcome is one that is invisible,” writes Lisa Peacock, a CHRT Health Policy Fellow and a Health Officer for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. “But who could have imagined this? We’ve seen a pandemic before, we’ve seen natural disasters, we’ve seen terrorist attacks, but in our lifetime we have not seen a virus literally stop the world in its tracks like coronavirus.”

“Our public health work has never been more important. Hospitals are worried about their inpatient and critical care capacity, employers are worried about their employees, local government is managing critical functions, and the public wants to know what they can do to protect themselves and their loved ones. Now, instead of behind the scenes activity, public health is front-and-center, the subject of almost every conversation across Northern Michigan, and everyone asks, “What can we do?” Without a cure and without a vaccine, the most important things we can do are to practice the age-old public health principle of social distancing and abide by the governor’s order to stay home whenever possible…..”

READ THE FULL OP-ED HERE

Udow-Phillips offers perspective as China Global Television examines U.S. health system amid coronavirus

Lending context to China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) scrutiny of the U.S health system’s response to the coronavirus crisis, CHRT Executive Director Marianne Udow-Phillips explains that lack of health coverage is “…a huge concern in the middle of coronavirus, because this is a pandemic, it doesn’t hit just people who are insured.”

The story looks at U.S. health system policy issues around the Affordable Care Act and considers how some policies can lead to varying pandemic responses at different levels of government. “There is no central entity in the U.S. which makes policy decisions for the whole health care system,” says Udow-Phillips. “Sometimes we have decisions made at the federal level which might conflict with decisions made at the state or local level.”

CGTN goes on to question whether the federal response to the pandemic occurred early enough and was adequate, and Udow-Phillips provides some historical context for the U.S. government’s approach. “One of the reasons we’re seeing this huge spike in cases is we were not prepared,” Udow-Phillips said. “Underfunding of public health is a longstanding problem.”

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE

For independent, rural hospitals, coronavirus may pose an existential threat. Udow-Phillips explains.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the healthcare system across the United States, and rural hospitals in Michigan are no exception.

In the Bridge MI article “Rural Michigan hospitals say coronavirus may soon force some to close,” Marianne Udow-Phillips, executive director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan, describes the thin cash margins of independent, rural hospitals and why they’re so vulnerable during this coronavirus epidemic.

To slow the spread of the virus, elective surgeries and procedures have been canceled, which has a huge impact on hospital bottom lines.

“All hospitals are challenged,” says Udow-Phillips, a national health policy expert and a lecturer at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health and Ford School of Public Policy.

“But rural hospitals have huge cash issues. They have very thin if any cash margin, so they don’t have what they need to weather the ups and downs.”

Udow-Phillips says she’s “worried about whether many of our rural hospitals will be able to weather this for any period of time.”

Alan Morgan, head of the National Rural Health Association expressed the same sentiment. “If we’re not able to address the short-term cash needs of rural hospitals, we’re going to see hundreds of rural hospitals close before this crisis ends.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE,

Udow-Phillips praises state leaders on the actions they’re taking to combat the spread of coronavirus

Marianne Udow-Phillip applauds state leaders for COVID-19 response — Marianne Udow-Phillips

As coronavirus continues to spread, U.S. leaders in our nation’s capital have struggled to roll out a national plan of action, writes ABC News reporter Ivan Pereira in “State governors taking lead on coronavirus precautions as federal government works to define plan.” State leaders are filling the gap.

Marianne Udow-Phillips, founding executive director of the Center for Health & Research Transformation (CHRT), tells ABC News that state leaders have stepped up to fill the breach with cancellations, shutdowns, and other needed interventions.

Udow-Phillips also mentioned, “the governors’ messages stick with the public in a way those from the federal government may not”.

State leaders are uniquely qualified to address the crisis because “governors hear directly from health care providers, the local business community, school leaders, and citizens at large,” says Udow-Phillips. “They are deeply attuned to local and statewide impacts.”

This familiar relationship between the governors and their communities places them in a crucial position to take the actions necessary to alleviate pressing issues.

As the nation continues to fight the pandemic, the leadership and determination of these state leaders will remain vital in the fight against COVID-19.

READ THE FULL ABC NEW’S STORY HERE

Summary by Bill Minsung Kim

CHRT to join the Michigan Health Endowment Fund’s Equitable Evaluation Initiative Collaboratory this April

Equitable Evaluation Initiative (EEI) checklist

In partnership with the Equitable Evaluation Initiative (EEI), the Michigan Health Endowment Fund is working to build our state’s evaluation ecosystem. Over the next several months, CHRT and selected Health Fund grantees will explore Michigan health equity evaluation as part of a collaboratory that brings philanthropy, nonprofit, and consultant partners together, bridging the unique perspectives of each area.

In the first full-day session, which will take place online this April, we’ll unpack the Equitable Evaluation Framework and explore current equitable evaluation practices, pinpointing improvements to bring back to our organizations. Then, three monthly calls will allow us to reflect, guide one another, and identify areas for growth. The final full-day session in late August will bring everyone back together to share experiences from the program and plot a course forward.

“CHRT has always had a commitment to shining a light on ways that inequity disproportionately impacts particular groups in our society,” says Melissa Riba, director of CHRT’s research and evaluation team. “We see the EEI Collaboratory as a way to ensure we are using equitable and inclusive approaches and that our work reflects the tremendous diversity of the communities we serve.”

Bartholomew discusses the healthcare system changes proposed by Democratic presidential candidates

Pyramid made of small wooden blocks, each with a medical icon on it

Ryan Bartholomew, a health policy analyst at CHRT, offers insight on the different approaches to improving our healthcare system proposed by Presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders in “How Democratic Presidential candidates want to change health care.”

“The largest benefit is if you are a fan of the private health insurance marketplace,” says Bartholomew of Biden’s proposal. “If you like the plan that you have, the public option doesn’t impact you in any way, […] It would be just an option that other people would be able to purchase and you would still be able to keep your current plan if that’s something that you like.”

The article by Malachi Barrett delves into the differences between to two proposed healthcare systems with Biden pushing to build on former the Affordable Care Act, while Sanders pushes for Medicare for All.

Working remotely to stem the spread of coronavirus, but fully operational and looking forward to hearing from you

Globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the way people work. In order to reduce the spread of the virus, many businesses have adapted remote work models as a result of social distancing and quarantines.

The CHRT team has adapted to this new normal and is working remotely and have moved our team, client, and workgroup meetings to telephone and virtual platforms.

Despite the challenges posed by this situation, the CHRT team is fully operational throughout this crisis and is always happy to speak with our clients and colleagues.

To reach key administrative staff, email chrt-info@umich.edu. Or connect with our individual staff members directly by visiting our team page.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the way we live and work, businesses and organizations must adapt to the new reality of remote work. At CHRT, we are committed to continuing our work and offering excellent support to our clients and colleagues, even as we adjust to these unprecedented circumstances.

We will continue to use virtual platforms to stay connected with our clients and colleagues, and our team members remain available to assist and support you in any way possible.

Together, we can navigate this challenging time and emerge stronger on the other side.

Shortage of medical supplies for addressing COVID-19 is a challenge. Marianne Udow-Phillips explains.

Since the pandemic outbreak, healthcare providers and hospitals have been on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. Due to the rapid spread of the virus, healthcare systems are facing a shortage of medical supplies, equipment, personnel, and other essential resources.

In an interview with China Global Television Network anchor Elaine Reyes, Marianne Udow-Phillips, founding executive director of the Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan, spoke to the challenges faced by hospitals and caregivers and the importance of managing the supply of medical equipment and drugs to treat COVID-19.

“Much of the focus is on mitigation because there is not really enough equipment here if we have a major spike in need,” said Udow-Phillips, as she discussed the emphasis on increasing the availability of testing and its importance in helping to anticipate potential surges in hospital utilization.

“The drug supply issue is another matter that is really of great concern here as well,” noted Udow-Phillips, who then went on to respond to questions about the availability of medical supplies and managing equipment challenges in rural hospitals.

By addressing these challenges and implementing effective solutions, we can ensure that healthcare providers and hospitals have the resources they need to meet the evolving healthcare needs of the population.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE

–Summary by Benjamin Kohrman