Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 1, 2021

4 Kootenai Health 2003 Kootenai Health Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814 KH.org (208) 625-4000 Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees Terence Neff, M.D., Chair Robert Colvin, Vice Chair Katie Brodie, Secretary and Treasurer David Bobbitt, Trustee Cindy Clark, Trustee Thomas deTar, M.D., Trustee James Eisses, Trustee Teri Farr, Trustee Liz Godbehere, Trustee Administration Jon Ness, Chief Executive Officer Jim Adamson, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Karen Cabell, D.O., Chief Physician Executive Jeremy Evans, Executive Vice President of Hospital and Regional Operations Julie Holt, Kootenai Health Foundation President Daniel Klocko, Chief Human Resources Officer Patricia Richesin, President, Kootenai Care Network Joan Simon, Chief Nursing Officer Ryan Smith, Chief Information Officer Kim Webb, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer John Weinsheim, Executive Vice President of Kootenai Clinic Executive Regional Editor Kim Anderson Regional Editor Andrea Nagel Cover photo Andrea Nagel Pu blished as a courtesy of Kootenai Health four times a year. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Kootenai Health complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Translation assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Please call (877) 746-4674 . Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al (877) 746-4674 . Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezicke pomoci dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite (877) 746-4674 . 2021 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Health Facing Challenges Head-On “Our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.” —Martin Luther King Jr. Just over one year ago, Kootenai Health’s emergency operations team convened for the first time to discuss the possible threat of a novel coronavirus. No one could have predicted the significance of this new virus to our health care system, our community and our world. In the year since, the health care heroes at Kootenai Health have devoted their energy and expertise every single day to serving our community in these unprecedented times. Our heroes have encountered overwhelming adversity. Even as they are burdened with uncomfortable personal protective equipment, resource shortages and demanding circumstances, our employees and physicians continue to show up, continue to provide excellent care and continue to face these new challenges head-on. Our response has never been to give up. Rather, it has been to show up, innovate and adapt. Kootenai Health staff members found creative solutions to make the impossible possible. They set up our region’s first COVID-19 testing facility and have now completed more than 75,000 tests. They launched an entire telemedicine program in a matter of days, made hand sanitizer, found creative ways to conserve and reuse personal protective equipment, and found numerous other innovative solutions (as we display on page 5). In the face of what is arguably the most challenging times we may come up against, we continue to show up, face these challenges and not only survive but set ourselves up to thrive in the future. We honor and thank each of our health care heroes for what they contribute to our community, and we are inspired by their strength. Thank you to all who continue to serve our community in its time of need. Together, we look forward to a brighter tomorrow. Wishing you good health, Jon Ness, CEO J.R. McCurdie Desert Night