Letter from President/CEO Pete Delgado

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843

To our valued community partners:

I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy, and sheltering at home.

As I write to you we are in an unprecedented time, facing a pandemic that has changed our world. The news reports from New York are frightening; the sorrow overwhelming. You should know, however, that we can persevere, and we will. We will emerge from this painful chapter having learned some important lessons that will benefit us for a lifetime. Yet there is still a long road to travel before we can enjoy the luxury of pausing to look back and assess what we have learned.

I’d like to give you a glimpse inside your public district healthcare system at this unique time. We are diligently working our COVID-19 response plan. I am so proud of our clinicians and support staff. All of them have a vital role – from the doctors and nurses on the front lines, to the support staff such as environmental services professionals who are sanitizing our facility. I am impressed on a daily basis by their professionalism, their dedication to high standards, and their commitment to our patients and each other.

Although this pandemic is unlike anything we have seen, paradoxically it is exactly what we prepare for, what we drill for, on a regular basis. Stepping into emergency situations is the very nature of what we do and who we are, it is the focus of everything from how we order supplies to how we train our staff. We have planned our work, and we are now working our plan.

Some of the many initiatives we’ve implemented in response to this pandemic include:

• Initiating virtual visits in Salinas Valley Health Clinics. Many of our physicians are able to see patients virtually – either by using video or with a telephone call. Of course, when patients need to be seen in person, we create a safe environment to accommodate that.
• Setting up a series of six tents outside our Emergency Department so that potential COVID-19 cases can be tested without coming into our hospital building.
• Introducing a weekly electronic newsletter that includes the latest COVID-19 information as well as interviews with Salinas Valley Health experts on how to be well during this time. You can sign up for our free e-newsletter at the newly created Salinas Valley Health COVID-19 website at svmh.com/coronavirus.
• Creating the Community and Staff Support Project – an initiative where we are redeploying members of our workforce to help nonprofit organizations in our community who need help.
• Creating a community outreach phone bank to check on our area’s vulnerable populations.

There is much, much more happening here every day as we battle this pandemic. I am certain of this – the only way we will be successful is if we all work together. You have an important role in bringing an end to this pandemic. Social distancing has been effective in flattening the curve. Let’s stay strong and continue this practice. Although not easy, it has proven successful in keeping many people safe, and keeping our hospital from being challenged past our capacity.

I am hopeful that if we look out for each other we will be able to successfully get past this difficult moment in time. For my part, I pledge to do everything in my power to make sure our hospital is ready to help you should you need it. In return, I ask that you continue to practice social distancing until such a time that the shelter-in-place order is lifted, and we can all come together to celebrate a healthy future.

Best regards,

Pete Delgado

President/CEO