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‘It can wait’: Adena Health System leadership clear schedules to help front lines in any capacity

Adena Health System is no exception to the national trend of hospitals dealing with a shortage of healthcare workers and other hospital staff.

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — From delivering meals to visiting patients: that's how some leaders at Adena Health System are helping out on the front lines.

When it comes to staffing challenges, Adena Health System in Chillicothe is no exception to the national trend.

Employees in executive roles have cleared all their meetings and other tasks and are putting the protective gear on.

“Everything else can wait because patient care comes first," said executive assistant Jacob Summers who has been helping out in food service.

Summers and others are helping everywhere and anywhere, from patient rooms to food service, and everywhere in between.

"We had some call-offs in our housekeeping so I went ahead and cleaned the floors," said Kathi Edrington.

Edrington is the Chief Operating Officer.

"It just sets the stage of this is what's happening right now,” she said. "To have it be this expansive where you have folks like even the executive assistant of the president working out on a unit as a patient care assistant, that's unprecedented."

Even staff who are seeing strain in their own departments are helping out in their free time.

"I'm not medical but I can go get a warm blanket, I can sit with somebody, I can offer food, just check on people,” said Annie Howard, coordinator of Adena’s Advocacy Program.

"I just try to be as flexible as I can,” said Latanya Stewart, a nurse practitioner.

Stewart is also helping out where and when she can, like taking on tasks she normally wouldn’t do when seeing patients.

"I often times will help the nurses out and the [medical assistants] out by doing my own intakes, my own vital signs, and my own discharges just to keep the flow moving along," she said.

This, on top of that fact she's seeing three to four times more patients per day.

"It's hard seeing that many patients in a day,” she said.

That's why help with tasks that may seem small are making a big impact.

"I've never seen anything like it, it truly is incredible,” said Summers.

"It's not about who's doing what,” added Edrington. “It's really about chipping in and doing what you can.”

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