To Our Patients and Community Members:
I am honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the Chief Executive Officer at our community hospital. I would like to thank the Delta County Memorial Hospital (DCMH) board of trustees for their unwavering dedication to the success of DCMH. It is apparent that they are committed to our mission and strive to make the medical center a quality, compassionate, caring environment for our patients. Just in my first weeks of employment, I have witnessed extreme dedication and commitment to DCMH which is embodied in physicians, leadership, staff and volunteers. I also want to thank the communities we serve for their commitment to the DCMH brand and share with you what DCMH is doing, planning, and thinking, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID-19 is first and foremost a human tragedy, affecting hundreds of thousands of people including our own neighbors and families. As you well know, this virus didn’t come with a script or playbook but we are busy spending time closely monitoring and following the fluid and constantly evolving CDC guidelines. We have found that collaboration and communication with federal, state, and local government and public health officials now is far more important than it was just two months ago.
Like me, you may be asking two questions several times a day: “How bad will this get?” and “How long will it likely last?” If you asked me early last week, I would have told you the surge would be hitting today and we could be “over run” by next week at this time. If you asked me early this week, I would have told you that a surge and peak would be coming next week at the same time and we could manage this. Today, the modeling tells a different, more positive story. In the end, models aren’t perfect and they are only as good as the assumptions and data put into them (for a virus that we have never seen before).
I know this event has impacted each of us at home and at work. As you manage through the next few weeks and months ahead, please know that DCMH will endlessly prepare and be ready for our community needs now and in the future—we are a resource for you.
Thank you for your commitment to our communities and our hospital! We will emerge from this challenge – together – with an even greater appreciation of our strength and connectedness as a community.
With Admiration,
Matt Heyn, MHA
Chief Executive Officer
Delta County Memorial Hospital