Building caring relationships is at the heart of what we do at Prairie Ridge Health.

 In early March 2020, it became apparent we were facing a novel coronavirus that would impact our country, our state, our team, our patients and our communities. For many of us in health care, this is something we talk about and hope to never see.

Each day, we sifted through the avalanche of new information and theories about the virus, and acted together as a team to secure our campus, obtain PPE, train our team to ensure readiness, and create a safe place for our team and our patients. We leaned on one another as we processed fears for our own health and the health of our loved ones.

Our strong financial position allowed us to make the decision early on to postpone non-essential visits and procedures in order to protect our community, healthcare team, and patients. Many of our team members embraced new roles in the organization – screening patients, monitoring doors, answering calls for our triage line, and performing COVID-19 testing. The days, weeks and months passed, and our team remained committed, kind and flexible, even when pressed uncomfortably forward.

We watched as the positive cases in Wisconsin surged and cared for our community members who were affected by the virus. Throughout this time we prepared our organization for the day a vaccine was available by purchasing ultra-cold storage, securing an area for the vaccine clinic, and allocating team members to run it. On December 16, we received our first 100 doses of vaccine and vaccinated our first team member and have since vaccinated over 2,000 community members.

Over the past 12 months, our team at Prairie Ridge Health has remained focused through each and every challenge presented by COVID-19. From the early stages of diagnosis, to the unchartered course of treatment, and now to the duty of vaccinating our
communities.

Thank you for supporting us and the entire Prairie Ridge Health team as we navigate through this unprecedented time together.

In good health, 

John Russell
President & CEO