Message from Leadership: An unforgettable year

A wise person once said, “life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” It could be said that this is the crux of an annual report.

An annual report is a chance for an organization to look back on the preceding year and reflect on its many lessons. Just as important is how the organization absorbs those lessons and uses them to chart its course for the future.

In reflecting upon 2020, we can all agree that it was an unforgettable year. While many of us would just as soon put the year of the pandemic behind us, it is important to remember the toll it has taken on so many families and communities, including our own.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have altered how we do our work, but it did not alter our underlying mission and it certainly did not diminish our commitment to those we serve.

It is important to remember that in addition to teaching us many lessons, the past year gave us much to be proud of.

The pandemic caught everyone by surprise and forced organizations like ours to adapt quickly. Throughout the shutdowns and stay-at-home orders, our frontline staff, whether working from home or at our convent sites, continued to provide excellent care to our members.

Most of our staff moved to remote work, which took some getting used to. Our IT team moved quickly to accommodate the shift to remote work and provided staff with the necessary tools to continue serving our members. Through it all, our staff found creative ways to stay connected with one another.

It is also important to recognize that 2020 was our first year offering Family Care services in Dane County. This was not an easy time to get a new service area off the ground, but our staff managed to do it and we are grateful to them for their efforts to help Community Care serve more people. In addition to expanding into Dane County, we spent time in 2020 planning to expand our Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) into Kenosha County.

Amidst the pandemic, we also welcomed two new members to our Board of Directors – Langston Verdin and Amy Driscoll. We appreciate their willingness to come on board at a demanding time.

It goes without saying that 2020 was a challenging year for everyone, our employees, our leadership staff, but most importantly our members and their families. While the way we do our work might have changed greatly, we continued to get the work done.

sol weingrod, 36, port washington, Family Care member

What does Community Care mean to you? “I think Community Care wants to make sure it’s a good situation and I think they want to make sure you’re happy where you are.”

How did Community Care help you get through the COVID-19 pandemic? “Just by coming to check and see if everything is OK. They did that quite a few times.”

mariea butler, 69, Milwaukee, PROGRAM OF ALL INCLUSIVE CARE FOR THE ELDERLY (PACE) member

What does Community Care mean to you? “I love Community Care, me and my daughter, if it wasn’t for Community Care, I’d have to run around trying to find a doctor and everything, that means a lot to me and my family. I love the staff. They give us a bath, that’s very important, because a lot of times we can’t do that. They provide meals, your medications, and that’s a big part because medicine costs a lot. I am very blessed to have Community Care, yes I am. I love it here.”

How did Community Care help you get through the COVID-19 pandemic? “During COVID, they still called to check on you. They did trivia on the phone with you, which was very nice, because I love trivia. When the Day Center was closed, I was going crazy at home. I would ask my daughter every day, I would bug her, ‘when am I going back to the center, when am I going back to the center?’ because everybody was so helpful. They gave us our shots. You never had to worry about what I would do because somebody was always on it. They gave us our flu shots and everything, that’s really special because we can’t get out to do it ourselves. Community Care gave us all our shots and medicine and everything, it’s really nice.”

janet greco, 77, racine, Family Care-Partnership member

What does Community Care mean to you? “Well, I’ve been with Community Care since 2006 and I have nothing but good to say about the people who work with me. They’re very kind people that will listen if you have an issue going on. Overall I’m very pleased with Community Care. It’s been a very big help for me. It’s excellent.”

How did Community Care help you get through the COVID-19 pandemic? “They pretty well checked on me every week, every two weeks, made sure I didn’t need anything. Just the contact that you can always depend on. I have a big friendship with all of them. I have had different nurses over the years. I’m very satisfied all around with the care and the interest with me as a patient. I’m very grateful and thankful to God to have Community Care.”

CCI Employee Excellence Awards

In November, Community Care recognized five employees with CCI Employee Excellence Awards for their contributions to the organization throughout 2020.

Employees were recognized for providing excellent customer service, exemplary achievement and performance, and initiative and innovation. In 2020, nominees were also considered for their contributions to the organization throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because of COVID-19 restrictions, we were unable to host an in-person event. Instead, Kenneth Munson, Chief Executive Officer, sent each winner a personalized congratulatory video. Each award winner received a $1,000 prize and certificate.

Excellence Award winners for 2020:

Dallas Brown – Clinical Business Data Analyst: At any organization, there are individuals working behind the scenes whose contributions, however significant, often go unnoticed. This is not a statement about these people as individuals, it is just the nature of their work. Dallas Brown knows this better than anyone. While he does not interact with our members, or even many of our staff, the work Dallas has done for Community Care has made a profound impact on our organization and its bottom line. Thanks to his positive and collaborative approach, Dallas has earned the respect of leaders throughout the organization, while creating tools that help them better serve our members. As important as data is to any organization, it often baffles people; it is a rare gift to make it understandable and useful in driving change and improving outcomes.

Peggy Eckart – Infection Prevention-Control Coordinator: You can tell a lot about a person who is willing to come out of retirement when duty calls. They are willing to put aside their own needs for the needs of others. Thankfully, Peggy Eckhart is that kind of person and we all owe her a debt of gratitude. Peggy was “semi-retired” when the threat of COVID-19 became a reality. She came back full-time to help us weather the worst of the storm. As the cornerstone of our pandemic response, Peggy helped everyone at Community Care better understand the virus to confront something we had never experienced before. By staying calm when emotions ran high, Peggy kept the focus on our most important obligation, keeping everyone healthy and safe.

Kerri Livermore – R.N. Clinical Director: When thinking about what Kerri Livermore did during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phrase “service above self” comes to mind. Thanks to Kerri’s tireless efforts, she rallied her team at Our Lady of Angels (OLA) convent to work through some stressful and exhausting weeks caring for the sisters hit worst by the virus. This was no small feat, considering Kerri had her own bout with the virus. Even while she recuperated, Kerri made herself available to the staff at OLA. Her passion and commitment to providing excellent care to the sisters is clear; her dedication to her staff is a testament to her leadership; but her ability to go beyond the role of nurse and leader, to be there for her staff, is a credit to her as a person.

Blanca Quiles – Home Care Manager: Within two years of joining Community Care, Blanca Quiles became manager of our Home Care Department. Since then, she has made a profound impact on the lives of nurses, patients, families, and caregivers. Blanca is considered the backbone of her department. She leads with consistency, compassion, and dedication, all hallmarks of a born leader. In addition to her “wicked” sense of humor and her overall positivity, Blanca also uses her bilingual skills to guarantee that our members’ voices are heard. It is clear why she was nominated for this award.

Dr. Carol Wood – Primary Care Physician: The past year has been a challenging one for everyone at Community Care. This is especially true for our front line staff, our members and our convent sites like Sacred Heart. Through her unwavering support and tireless efforts, Dr. Carol Wood found ways to best care for the sisters while maintaining a safe environment for staff. Her actions early in the pandemic likely helped to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and lower the numbers of sisters who fell ill. While Dr. Wood does not do things in hopes of recognition, her exemplary efforts under the incredibly difficult circumstances of the past year are worth noting.

notable heroes in healthcare

In December, BizTimes Milwaukee selected our convent staff for the publication’s Notable Heroes in Health Care special section. The publication recognized the staff for the work they did throughout the pandemic.

Celebrating a recognition like this was a challenge, considering everything our staff had been through, but we all took great pride in the fact that our colleagues received this recognition. It is a testament to all the amazing work everyone did to care for our members in the convents.

As the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic set in, our colleagues at Community Care met the challenge of caring for our members under incredibly stressful and challenging circumstances.

This was especially true for the caregivers assigned to the Milwaukee-area convents we serve, where our employees care for a special group of retired Catholic nuns from the Schools Sisters of Notre Dame, the School Sisters of St. Francis, and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

When COVID-19 first entered the convents in February, little was known about coronavirus. It was a frightening time for everyone. The sisters, most of whom are in their 90s, live together, eat together, and worship together. While fundamental to their way of life, communal living also increased the risks associated with COVID-19.

Staff had to find new and creative ways to engage the sisters, physically, mentally, and spiritually. With each new development, our staff became stronger and more confident. They have always been extremely protective of the sisters, but never more so than during this crisis.

The pandemic brought the staff and sisters closer together. It also strengthened the bonds between our employees at the convents. Despite long hours, challenging conditions, and the fear this pandemic caused, the sisters’ care remained the priority. This is a testament to the leadership at the convents.

The selfless dedication of all these frontline workers continues to inspire us all. Healthcare professionals know better than anyone about confronting matters of life and death.

Adapting to the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to adapt to a new reality and do so quickly. At the outset, we did not know how long this situation would last. It soon became clear that the pandemic would have a far greater impact than anyone could have anticipated. As a result, we learned a few important lessons about how we operate.

Throughout the pandemic, our staff worked diligently to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances. Here are some examples of the changes we faced as an organization and how we responded to the “new normal,” as it came to be known.

Adult Day Centers

For several months, we were forced to close our PACE adult day centers. In response, we reassigned some of our day center staff to help in other areas of the organization, where needed.

My Health Record

In 2020, Community Care staff finalized plans to offer members an online tool to make it easier to check your health records from home. MyHealthRecord is an online tool that allows members to access their health information at any time, send messages to their care team, and schedule appointments (PACE and Partnership program only). MyHealthRecord also gives members and their guardians access to important documents and information medications, allergies.

Flu Vaccine Clinics

In the fall, Community Care partnered with local Walgreens to address the need for safe access to flu and other vaccinations. We learned that the most common barrier to providers and members getting vaccinated during the 2020 flu season was safe access to vaccines. We offered seven outdoor vaccination clinics for providers, members, and members’ families. The clinics were held in September and October in West Bend, Waukesha, Racine, Cedarburg, Sheboygan, and two sites in Milwaukee.

COVID-19 Vaccine Clinics

Near the end of 2020, we learned that we would be administering the COVID-19 vaccine to staff and members in the beginning of the new year. This required an immense effort from our colleagues who, in a short amount of time, helped to coordinate our COVID-19 vaccine clinics. As we followed the news about the vaccine rollout around the country, we came to understand the many logistical challenges of a large-scale vaccination effort like this. We are truly grateful for the time and effort our staff put into coordinating these clinics.