As many may know, I often say rules are meant to be broken. But when you create the rules, you have to follow the rules you created. Seems like an easy concept, but dang is it difficult sometimes. To protect the safety of our staff and clients, Healthfirst has strict testing guidelines for employees with respiratory illnesses. Especially right now! What once was just Coivd testing is now RSV and influenza as well.

At symptom onset we encourage staff to complete an at home rapid Covid test, but require PCR testing for confirmation. A year ago, it seemed so easy to call and schedule a Covid test at a drive-up spot in many locations. However, as the pandemic has continued the ease of testing is not there. The drive-up testing facilities are now closed. And we no longer need just a covid test.

I found out just how difficult the process I put into place was this week. Symptoms start Monday night, rapid test is negative. Call CareMyWay for a telehealth visit. They cannot order tests. Tuesday morning call the nurse line. Nurse line indicates that testing is not quite as easy as it used to be and a provider needs to physically see the person now for testing. Now to determine what to do…schedule an appointment or go to walk-in. There are no appointments within the next 48 hours, so walk-in it is.

As everyone knows, when you feel sick, the last thing you want to do is go out and go to the doctor. I knew I had a respiratory illness, but needed to find out what it was. What were the wait times going to be at the walk-in though? Thankfully, I got there right at 7am. The nurse complimented me on my outfit, I sadly broke it to her that I was still in my pajamas. However, the process was seamless. The nurse roomed me, collected specimens, doctor saw me, and sent me on my way all within 20 minutes. But I do have to say that was strictly due to timing. By the time that I left, the waiting room was full.

As a leader, I am not on a pedestal. The rules and policies that my staff members follow, I have to follow to. They are for all employees, and that excludes no one regardless of job title. Thankfully, I have not had to partake in this specific policy recently. But it was a really good learning experience for me. The healthcare landscape is extremely complex right now, and our asks are not easy. I did not want to go in and sit in a waiting room, I wanted to stay in bed until I felt better. However, I needed to as our policy is to promote the health and wellbeing of our clients and staff. If I had a respiratory infection, it was imperative to identify what so close contacts could be informed. And we could help prevent the spread.

We often see that leaders try to skirt around the policies and procedures they expect their employees to follow. That is not how we do it at Healthfirst, leadership is accountable and held to the same standards as all other employees. And that helps create a culture of collaboration and consistency. It also allows for the opportunity to better understand what other employees experience when they have to follow strict policies. They may not be fun policies, but they are needed.