Report to the Community

FALL 2020 FALL COTTAGE THE MAGAZINE OF COTTAGE HEALTH Report to the community Fighting COVID: The long road home A Carpinteria family shares their story page 2 features THE MAGAZINE OF COTTAGE HEALTH 2020 COTTAGE HEALTH BOARD OFFICERS Gregory F. Faulkner, Chair Thomas J. Cusack, Vice Chair Dorothy Largay, PhD, Vice Chair Steven C. Zola, Vice Chair Edward S. Bentley, MD, Secretary Susan Christol-Deacon Pamela B. Gann 9 Nancy Nielsen 2 5 Ernesto Paredes Gamble T. Parks Richard S. Ponce, MD A family recovering from A community of compassion Improving the health of children Anne O. Rodriguez, MD COVID-19 responds to the pandemic in Santa Barbara County Ginger Salazar Mark P. Scott, MD 1 4 CHIEFS OF STAFF Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital: Letter from 2019 Board of Marc Zerey, MD our President Directors Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital: & CEO Robin Malone, MD Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital: Miguel Loya, DO 12 14 COTTAGE HEALTH President & Chief Executive Officer: Ron Werft New options for care near you Hospital safety Vice President for Marketing and Population Health: Katy Bazylewicz Vice President for Advancement: David Dietrich FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Cottage Health has adopted a financial 2019 annual report assistance policy as part of our long history as a not-for-profit organization serving the health care needs of the greater community. All patients, whether 17 18 19 21 22 seeking emergent or non-emergent care, Alice Keck Park Cottage Cottage Founders Cottage Santa Barbara are able to apply for financial assistance Society Benefactors Society 1888 Society Cottage Hospital or discounts toward their patient obligation. Visit cottagehealth.org/ Foundation financial-assistance to learn more. COTTAGE MAGAZINE 25 26 27 29 30 Letters to the editor, address changes, The Doell Family – Family Assistance Tiara Ball The Alice Tweed Goleta Valley requests to be added or removed from A legacy of healing Funds Tuohy Foundation Cottage Hospital our mailing list, or other magazine Foundation inquiries can be addressed to: Cottage Magazine Marketing Department Cottage Health 32 34 35 37 38 PO Box 689 Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Community Cottage Employee Giving Santa Barbara, CA 93102 or emailed to [email protected] Cottage Hospital Rehabilitation support in the Emergency Foundation Hospital time of COVID-19 Response Fund Foundation Cottage Health PO Box 689 Santa Barbara, CA 93102 40 41 805-682-7111 Cottage Health by Financial cottagehealth.org the numbers responsibility FAll 2020 Dear fellow community members, As we began the year and COVID-19 arrived in our community, life as we knew it changed. The pandemic impacts the lives of everyone in our community, and it is the biggest challenge of our health care careers. Importantly, our collective response has clearly demonstrated the value of our hospitals and our community. I’m so grateful for the incredible team at Cottage Health. Our goal remains to prepare early and prepare well. Physicians, nurses, and other dedicated caregivers have cared for patients with COVID-19 and for many in need of other • Early in the pandemic, our Facilities team quickly established services. They have guided us with expertise, ongoing learning negative-pressure isolation units dedicated to COVID-19 and a steadfast advocacy for safety. Our Board leadership care, and the team continues to flex these units to match has worked diligently throughout this crisis to continue the patient census, allowing for complete separation of patients long history of strong stewardship for Cottage and to address with and without COVID-19. current and emerging health needs in our community. • Cottage Virtual Care rapidly adapted to offer the Our community has done a great job of adopting safe practices community free COVID-19 assessments online. These of handwashing, masking, and physical distancing. Many of you continue today. have come to our aid when we’ve needed it most, donating • Our Pacific Diagnostic Laboratories team has worked PPE and critical funds to support our staff. This truly has been a tirelessly to provide the patient testing needed to keep collective effort to protect each other, to keep our hospitals safe, our hospitals safe, using multiple testing platforms, and and to ensure Cottage Health can continue ongoing care for our identifying solutions whenever a supply shortage appeared. community – now and in the years ahead. • Cottage Health’s Population Health team focused efforts on COVID-19 response to provide resources for vulnerable populations, distributing emergency kits with symptom monitoring tools for those in need. “You have bolstered our spirits and come to our aid when we’ve Your role in our COVID-19 response has been vital. You’ll see much more in these pages about the inspiring needed it most. Every day, you caregivers, patients and donors who are all part of shaping inspire us to care.” the Cottage story. As a member of the American Hospital Association Board, this year I have the privilege of working closely with peer hospitals to learn about and to share best practices on critical issues our hospitals are facing today. While it is likely we will experience surges in COVID-19 until there is a proven vaccine and effective therapeutics, together – through collaboration with medical, social service, and public agencies, and with the strength of community – we will get through this. Thank you for your support of Cottage Health and for your continued diligence in adopting proven practices that keep our community safe. Stay safe, Cottage Health Board Chair Gregory F. Faulkner; Chiefs of Staff Miguel Loya, DO, Robin Malone, MD, and Marc Zerey, MD, and President & CEO Ron Werft Ron Werft Note: Photographs in the hospitals showing groups without President & CEO, Cottage Health masks were taken prior to March 2020. 1 A family recovering from COVID-19 It was March 2020. Olivia Moctezuma wasn’t Then on March 23, Olivia texted her husband, Jose, feeling well. She had a fever and chills along “I’m sorry, my love, lots of pain and no more energy. They are going to intubate me.” Jose replied, “I love with a cough and shortness of breath. She you. Get better.” began medication, but started to feel worse. Her breathing became more difficult. Olivia doesn’t remember much after that. For the next several weeks, she was unconscious and breathing with the aid of a ventilator. Her husband, “I called my doctor again, and she sent me to Jose, remembers it all too well. “It was the scariest the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital emergency time of my life,” Jose said, “but I knew she was in the department,” Olivia said. “The staff met me outside, best place she could be.” checked me and took me quickly to an isolation room and then to the ICU.” What would Olivia tell others about staying safe? “Listen to the medical experts: Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep social distancing. Even if you feel healthy, you could be contagious, so think about all the people around you, like mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters.” 2 The Magazine of Cottage Health Fall 2020 To make matters worse for Jose, he too tested positive for COVID-19 and was isolated at home along with their son, Victor, who also had the virus. Jose had extreme stomach pain and nausea and could barely eat for two weeks, and Victor had a high fever. With constant concern for his wife and battling his own illness, Jose also worried if he got worse and was hospitalized he wouldn’t be there for Victor, who has Down syndrome. Fortunately, Jose and Victor were able to recover at home. However, Olivia’s condition was not changing. “The staff called me every day with an update, and I just kept hoping and praying that she wouldn’t get worse,” Jose said. Then one day, Olivia regained consciousness. “I was thrilled,” Jose said. “We were able to FaceTime, so we could see each other. I knew she was going to be alright then.” Olivia stayed at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital for two more weeks, until she tested negative for COVID-19. Then she was transferred to Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital to help her further recover. “The staff was amazing,” Olivia said. “They were always encouraging me, telling me I’m going to get better.” These days, Olivia continues to improve from the toll that COVID-19 took on her. She was discharged from Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital and returns for outpatient therapy – physical, occupational and speech – several times a week. “Olivia continues to have such a bright spirit and has never once turned down a challenging activity or task,” said Brenda Swedlove, speech therapist at Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. What would Olivia tell others about staying safe? “Listen to the medical experts: Wear a mask, wash your hands, keep social distancing,” she said. “Even if you feel healthy, you could be contagious, so think about all the people around you, like mothers, fathers, grandparents, brothers and sisters.” Feeling stronger each week, Olivia is enjoying getting back to daily activities. She looks forward to going Just before Olivia is intubated, Jose tells back to work in her role as a property manager. her: “I love you and I know that you are fighting with all your might. We are all fine waiting for you.” 3 2019 Board members: Front row: Pamela B. Gann, Susan Christol-Deacon, Gregory F. Faulkner (Chair), Nancy Nielsen, Dorothy Largay, PhD, Ernesto Paredes. Back row: Mark P. Scott, MD, Gamble T. Parks, Edward S. Bentley, MD, Thomas J. Cusack, Richard S. Ponce, MD, Steven C. Zola, Anne O. Rodriguez, MD Cottage Health Board of Directors Cottage Health welcomes new board members Pamela Gann Ginger Salazar Pamela B. Gann, President Emerita Ms.

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