Contact: John Porter
207 329-8594 / [email protected]
Portland, Maine 鈥� Noting that none of its employees have been laid off or seen their pay and benefits diminished, AOA体育平台 today released details on how it is redeploying staff amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
鈥淚n an effort to provide financial security and assurance to our employees at a time when so much is being demanded of them, we have decided that all AOA体育平台 employees who are sent home for any COVID-19- related reason will receive their regular pay and benefits and will not be required to use paid time off,鈥� said Judith West, chief human resources officer of AOA体育平台.
As part of planning for the pandemic response, AOA体育平台 has postponed elective procedures and non-urgent medical appointments. As a result, some care team members have naturally seen their work hours reduced, or in rare cases, have seen their work hours totally eliminated. These employees continue to receive the same level of pay and benefits they had prior to the pandemic, meaning if a 40-hour-per-week employee is not working for 10 hours a week, they are still being paid for 40 hours. Across the healthcare system, which employs 22,000, about 12 percent of employees have seen a reduction in the number of hours on the job and less than 2 percent have seen all their shifts eliminated.
West said, however, that the staffing situation is very fluid as planning for the pandemic responses develops. As part of this process AOA体育平台 is evaluating on an ongoing basis the licenses, certifications and skills of its employees, and where appropriate, reassigning them to roles in support of the COVID-19 response.
鈥淥ur care team members are eager to help in any way they can,鈥� said West. 鈥淥ur goal is to keep our staff resources intact so that we can meet the challenges that might arise as the outbreak progresses.鈥�
Across the system, team members have stepped up where needed. The goal is to leverage existing skills into new functions rather than completely change someone鈥檚 job. So, for instance, physicians and advanced practice providers previously assigned to neurosurgery, urology, cardiac surgery and primary care are instead serving as physicians and advanced practice providers at COVID-19 testing sites and respiratory assessment centers. Doctors and nurses have been redeployed to employee health so that they can answer team members鈥� health-related questions. AOA体育平台 support staff has also been assigned to assist with community blood drives to help address the shortage of donated blood at this time.
West said AOA体育平台鈥檚 scale as the largest health system in northern New England has provided flexibility and resources as planning for the pandemic response has progressed. 鈥淥ur local health systems know they have the strength of our entire system behind them as they deliver care in the communities we serve,鈥� she said.
West said the current staffing policies will be reviewed on roughly a monthly basis with the next such review scheduled in the next two weeks. 鈥淭his is a very dynamic situation,鈥� she said. 鈥淎s such, we are constantly evaluating our approach with the goal of supporting our team so they can provide excellent care throughout this crisis.鈥�
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Notice to editors and producers: We are working on permissions and caption information for a photo of reassigned colleagues in a clinical setting. We will resend this release later today with the photo should it become available.
About AOA体育平台:
AOA体育平台 is a not-for-profit integrated health system consisting of nine local hospital systems, a comprehensive behavioral healthcare network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and more than 1,700 employed and independent physicians working together through an Accountable Care Organization. With close to 22,000 employees, AOA体育平台 is the largest health system in northern New England and provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. It includes Franklin Memorial Hospital/Franklin Community Health Network in Farmington, LincolnHealth in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Maine Behavioral Healthcare in South Portland, AOA体育平台 Care at Home in Saco, Maine Medical Center in Portland, Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, NorDx in Scarborough, Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County Hospital in Rockport and Belfast, Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford and Sanford, Spring Harbor Hospital in Westbrook and Stephens Memorial Hospital/Western Maine Health Care in Norway. AOA体育平台 Affiliates include Maine General Health in Augusta and Waterville, New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland and St. Mary's Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. It is also a significant stakeholder in the AOA体育平台 Accountable Care Organization in Portland.
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