An Important Note From Our CEO: COVID-19

By Gary Herbst, Kaweah Health Chief Executive Officer

During this time of uncertainty, you, as a member of our community, understandably have a lot of questions about COVID-19. You are looking to us, as an organization and a healthcare leader, for information as we all face this unprecedented situation. We are working very hard to provide our team and our community with information that is relevant, meaningful, and timely. We are committed to transparency. As such, we have decided to share this one-page Kaweah Health COVID-19 Clinical Snapshot with all of you as well as with the public on our website at www.KaweahDelta.org/COVID19 and on our social media pages. The report will be updated every weekday and posted on our website. Developed by our Infection Prevention Department, this snapshot very succinctly summarizes our COVID-19 efforts with the most up-to-date numbers on:

• Specimen collection
• Positive patients
• Positive employees (returned to work and hospitalized)
• Ventilators
• Statewide cases
• Tulare County cases

We felt that it was important that Kaweah Health take a leading role in informing the community about the current infection rates, recoveries, and even deaths. Some of this information is inspiring, while some of it can be frightening. But during times of uncertainty, information can be very powerful. It can help people make better-informed decisions and it can answer questions that they might have. When there is a lack of information, people often think of the worst. We want to help people understand what is happening so that we can all get better together.

We hope you will find this information useful as you go about your lives and take the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Each of the numbers on this report represents an individual, a family member, a colleague, a neighbor, or a loved one. We should honor those who have been lost, celebrate those who have recovered, and care for those who are sick. Each of us can honor our community by acknowledging that we all have a part to play to stop the spread of COVID-19. We all still need to remain vigilant in our efforts to protect ourselves, and our community.