Nothing beats the comfort of home. And while many of us are staying as safe as possible under our own roofs to help curb the spread of COVID-19, there are still those essential workers who head out the door to their jobs each day—including front line health care workers.
As healthcare organizations across the nation prepare for the surge of patients with COVID-19, there will be a need for front line health care workers and doctors to travel and meet areas of greatest need. And Sutter Health just made it easier for those front line staff.
Sutter is collaborating with the likes of the newly launched Airbnb Work, Outdoorsy and Aimbridge Hospitality to help support front line health care workers and doctors find temporary lodging around hospitals where they may be relocated to support. This service can help support healthcare workers who are self-isolating from their families or who need rest immediately after shifts, as they continue to care for others in need.
“Sutter Health is supporting our front line health care workers in many ways during this unprecedented public health emergency. We are seeking solutions to support our staff as they are caring for our patients and communities,” Jill Ragsdale, chief people and culture officer for Sutter Health. “This service helps remove the added pressure for staff caring for patients in other locations from finding temporary lodging while working away from home. We greatly appreciate how the greater community has opened their doors to support our care givers.”
This is one example of how Sutter Health is using the breadth of its integrated network to increase critical care capacity. The Airbnb Work service will be offered in several locations near existing Sutter hospitals including: Burlingame, Castro Valley, Modesto, Oakland/Berkeley, Roseville, Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Tracy and Vallejo.
Respiratory therapist Rachelle Cromwell began commuting to work at Mills-Peninsula Health Center in Burlingame from her home in Chico five times a week in November 2018. She originally stayed with roommates in the Bay Area, but when the COVID-19 crisis hit her roommates no longer felt comfortable living with her.
She spent more than three weeks trying to find a new place to live. When she discovered Sutter’s collaboration with Airbnb, she applied immediately.
“I can focus on work now, and not where I’m going to sleep next,” said Cromwell, who has worked as a respiratory therapist for more than 20 years. “Every night when I come home, I feel grateful to have such a wonderful place to recuperate. Knowing that the hospital, my host and Airbnb support my efforts has meant the world to me.”
Sonnier Sibley, a physician assistant at Sutter Coast Health Center in Crescent City, had been renting a room with an elderly woman and was concerned for her safety and risk for exposure. Her application was approved the same day she applied, and she moved in to a new house two days later.
“The whole process was seamless, and everyone I communicated with made sure I was comfortable and had everything I needed,” she said. “It was a huge relief to find this opportunity. It let me know that Sutter cares about their staff and physicians, and also about the community.”
“The spirit of collaboration and innovation is exactly what’s needed right now as we tackle this unprecedented public health crisis,” said Chris Waugh, Sutter Health’s chief innovation officer. “We’re extremely pleased to partner with Airbnb and others to help support Sutter’s frontline healthcare workers who need temporary lodging near hospitals where they’ve been redeployed to care for patients. Through collaboration, we can help care for them while they care for others.”
