CAREGROUP PARMENTER HOME CARE & HOSPICE INC

AS A SUPPORT ORGANIZATION TO MOUNT AUBURN HOSPITAL (MAH OR HOSPITAL), A HOSPITAL EXEMPT FROM INCOME TAX UNDER SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE (IRC) OF 1986 AS AMENDED, DURING THE FISCAL PERIOD COVERED BY THIS RETURN, CAREGROUP PARMENTER HOME CARE AND HOSPICE (CPHCH) PROVIDED HOME HEALTH DIRECT PATIENT CARE SERVICES THROUGH MORE THAN 82,000 PATIENT ENCOUNTERS BY NURSES, THERAPISTS AND HOME HEALTH AIDES PROVIDING IN-HOME CARE TO PATIENTS. AS PART OF THE MISSION HOME CARE NURSES WORK CLOSELY WITH PATIENTS' PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIANS TO CREATE AND FOLLOW A CARE PLAN THAT MEETS THE PREFERENCES, NEEDS AND GOALS OF EACH PATIENT. EXPERIENCED NURSES PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF HOME CARE SERVICES, INCLUDING: ANTICOAGULATION MEDICATION MANAGEMENT; CONTINENCE AND CATHETER CARE; CHRONIC DISEASE MANAGEMENT; ENTERAL THERAPIES TUBE FEEDINGS; HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AND MONITORING; HOME CARE LIAISONS; IV AND INFUSION MANAGEMENT; MEDICATION MANAGEMENT; PAIN AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT; PALLIATIVE CARE; PATIENT, FAMILY AND CAREGIVER EDUCATION; BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE INCLUDING PSYCHIATRIC NURSING CARE; OSTOMY CARE; TELE-HEALTH EDUCATION AND WOUND CARE. CPHCH ALSO PROVIDES HOME REHABILITATION SERVICES INCLUDING PHYSICAL THERAPY, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY AND SPECIALTY REHABILITATION PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. HOSPICE CARE: FOR THE FISCAL YEAR COVERED BY THIS FILING, CAREGROUP PARMENTER HOME CARE AND HOSPICE (CPHCH) WAS A SUPPORT ORGANIZATION TO MOUNT AUBURN HOSPITAL (MAH OR HOSPITAL), A HOSPITAL EXEMPT FROM INCOME TAX UNDER SECTION 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE (IRC) OF 1986 AS AMENDED, AND PROVIDED HOSPICE DIRECT PATIENT CARE SERVICES THROUGH MORE THAN 38,000 PATIENT ENCOUNTERS. PERSONALIZED CARE WAS PROVIDED BY A HOSPICE TEAM THAT INCLUDES REGISTERED NURSES, CERTIFIED HOME HEALTH AIDES, CPHCH'S MEDICAL DIRECTOR, SOCIAL WORKERS, SPIRITUAL CARE AND BEREAVEMENT COUNSELORS AS WELL AS TRAINED VOLUNTEERS WHO OFFER COMFORT AND SUPPORT. HOSPICE CARE IS PROVIDED IN PATIENTS' HOMES OR AT THE MIRIAM BOYD PARLIN HOSPICE RESIDENCE LOCATED IN WAYLAND, MA. IN ADDITION, CPHCH PROVIDED APPROXIMATELY $109,000 OF FREE CARE TO PATIENTS IN NEED, ALL OF WHICH S IN DIRECT FURTHERANCE OF CPHCH'S EXEMPT PURPOSE OF FURTHERING THE EXEMPT FUNCTIONS OF MAH. BILH'S COVID-19 RESPONSE IN FY 2020 BETH ISRAEL LAHEY HEALTH ("BILH") QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY MARSHALLED ITS RESOURCES TO MOUNT A COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. SINCE THE START OF THE PANDEMIC (THROUGH JUNE OF 2021), BILH HAS TREATED OVER 8,500 HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH COVID-19 AND PERFORMED MORE THAN 700,000 COVID-19 DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SYSTEM'S PANDEMIC RESPONSE IN FY 2020 INCLUDE: BILH QUICKLY ESTABLISHED AN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER ("EOC") TO ALIGN SYSTEM EFFORTS ACROSS ITS HOSPITALS AND OTHER BUSINESS UNITS AND WITH EXTERNAL ENTITIES, INCLUDING THE STATE GOVERNMENT. THE EOC HELD REGULAR MEETINGS WITH INCIDENT COMMANDERS, EMERGENCY MANAGERS, AND SENIOR LEADERS FROM BILH HOSPITALS, PRIMARY CARE, AND OTHER SYSTEM ENTITIES TO COORDINATE PLANS, POLICIES, AND COMMUNICATIONS. IT PARTICIPATED IN WEEKLY CONFERENCE OF BOSTON TEACHING HOSPITALS ("COBTH") CALLS AND MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH COMMAND CENTER CALLS. A KEY ROLE OF THE EOC INVOLVED MANAGING THE FLOW OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL INFORMATION TO ENSURE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND ALIGNMENT OF RESPONSES TO THE PANDEMIC. FINALLY, THE EOC WORKED WITH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL PARTNERS TO CENTRALIZE COVID-19 RELATED DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING FOR THE SYSTEM, COMMONWEALTH, AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IN MARCH 2020, BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER ("BIDMC") BECAME ONE OF THE FIRST HOSPITAL LABORATORIES IN THE STATE TO BEGIN IN-HOUSE HIGH-THROUGHPUT POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ("PCR") COVID-19 TESTING FOR PATIENTS AND HEALTHCARE WORKERS. BIDMC'S LABORATORY PROVIDED THIS TEST TO BILH HOSPITALS AND OTHER COMMUNITY PARTNERS, SUCH AS HEALTH CENTERS AND CORRECTIONS FACILITIES, AT A TIME OF CRITICAL SUPPLY SHORTAGE. THROUGHOUT THE PANDEMIC, BILH WORKED TOWARD ADDITIONAL IN-HOUSE TESTING CAPABILITIES, INCLUDING HIGH-THROUGHPUT THERMO FISHER INSTRUMENTS AT LAHEY HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER ("LHMC"). THE SYSTEM OPERATIONALIZED MULTIPLE DRIVE-THROUGH COVID-19 TESTING SITES TO ENABLE EASY ACCESS FOR PATIENTS AND STAFF. IN THE SUMMER OF 2020, TO EXPAND HOSPITAL AND CLINIC-BASED COVID-19 TESTING SITES, BILH OPENED AN ADDITIONAL HIGH-CAPACITY DRIVE-THROUGH TESTING SITE IN WOBURN. TO ENSURE CONTINUED ACCESS TO CARE FOR ITS PATIENTS, BILH PRIMARY CARE RAPIDLY DEPLOYED A TELEHEALTH STRATEGY, QUICKLY TRANSITIONED TO COHORT CLINICS TO CARE FOR SICK PATIENTS, AND SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED A PHASED REOPENING BY JULY 2020. BILH ESTABLISHED A TEMPORARY COMMUNITY CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT AT NEW ENGLAND BAPTIST HOSPITAL TO MANAGE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PATIENT VOLUME DURING THE PANDEMIC. BILH ESTABLISHED A DAILY HUDDLE CONSISTING OF BILH ED AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH LEADERS TO DETERMINE APPROPRIATE PATIENT TRANSFERS TO THE UNIT. BILH'S VIRTUAL TRANSFER CENTER WAS FORMED IN SEPTEMBER 2019 TO OPTIMIZE SYSTEM-WIDE BED CAPACITY USING REAL-TIME INFORMATION EXCHANGE AMONG THE THREE EXISTING TRANSFER CENTERS AT BIDMC, LHMC AND MOUNT AUBURN HOSPITAL ("MAH"). THE TRANSFER TEAM PERSONNEL AT THESE CENTERS WORK TOGETHER AS A SINGLE "VIRTUAL" CENTER TO ACCOMMODATE INCOMING TRANSFER REQUESTS BY MAKING ALL BEDS AVAILABLE IN THE SYSTEM BASED ON FACILITY CAPACITY AND LEVEL OF CARE REQUIRED. THE TRANSFER CENTER ENHANCED PATIENT QUALITY, SAFETY, AND ACCESS BY LOAD BALANCING COVID PATIENTS ACROSS ALL OF ITS HOSPITALS SO THAT THESE PATIENTS RECEIVED TIMELY ACCESS TO THE TYPE OF BED AND LEVEL OF CARE NEEDED. BILH COLLABORATED WITH EXTERNAL ENTITIES TO STAND UP A 1,000-BED FIELD HOSPITAL, THE BOSTON HOPE HOSPITAL, AND OPEN AND STAFF A COVID HOTEL FOR UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. BILH LAUNCHED A WEBSITE TITLED THE CORONAVIRUS RESOURCE CENTER TO PROVIDE ITS PATIENT COMMUNITY WITH UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SYSTEM'S RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC, AVAILABLE RESOURCES SUCH AS TESTING SITES, AND INNOVATION EFFORTS UNDERWAY THROUGHOUT BILH (E.G., VAPORIZED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE STERILIZATION FOR N95 RESPIRATORS). BILH LAUNCHED AN INTERNAL WEBSITE WITH RESOURCES FOR ITS STAFF AS WELL. BILH CREATED SYSTEM-WIDE GUIDELINES FOR INFECTION PREVENTION ACROSS MANY DOMAINS, INCLUDING PATIENT AND VISITOR SCREENING AND THE RECONFIGURATION OF AMBULATORY CLINIC SPACES TO ALLOW FOR RECOMMENDED PHYSICAL DISTANCING. BILH'S HUMAN RESOURCES TEAM DEVELOPED AND PROVIDED SYSTEM-WIDE PROGRAMS, POLICIES, AND TOOLS TO ENSURE ITS HOSPITALS WERE ABLE TO SUPPORT THE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF ITS STAFF WHILE DELIVERING SAFE, EFFECTIVE CARE TO ITS PATIENTS. EXAMPLES OF THESE RESOURCES INCLUDE AN ENHANCED SUPPLEMENTAL LEAVE POLICY; AN EASY-TO-USE, AUTOMATED EMPLOYEE COVID-19 SYMPTOM ATTESTATION TOOL; AN ONLINE, COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL TREATMENT PROGRAM FOR MANAGING ANXIETY; AND TELECOMMUTING GUIDELINES. IN LATE MARCH 2020 BILH CREATED HOUSING FOR QUARANTINE OF STAFF EXPOSED TO COVID-19. HOUSING WAS SET UP AT A LOCAL UNIVERSITY AND HOTELS COVERING THE NETWORK'S SERVICE AREA. APPROXIMATELY 300 STAFF MEMBERS TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE HOUSING FROM MARCH TO JULY 2020. IN ADDITION TO HOUSING, FOOD AND SUPPLY DELIVERY SERVICES WERE CREATED TO MINIMIZE PUBLIC CONTACT. BILH COLLABORATED REGULARLY WITH COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ("CHC") AFFILIATES ON COVID-RELATED CARE, TESTING, PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT ("PPE"), AND PATIENT OUTREACH. BILH SHARED REAL-TIME ACCESS TO BILH COVID-19-RELATED OPERATIONAL POLICIES, PROCESSES, AND GUIDELINES IN ADDITION TO TRANSLATED PATIENT HANDOUTS, FLYERS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS AROUND THE "STOP THE SPREAD" CAMPAIGN. AS HEALTH CENTERS WORKED TO ESTABLISH STABLE SUPPLY CHAINS OF PPE, BILH DONATED GLOVES, N95S, ISOLATION GOWNS, DISINFECTANT WIPES, EYE PROTECTION, HAND SANITIZER, AND SURGICAL MASKS. BILH DEPLOYED STAFF AT COMMUNITY TESTING SITES SUCH AS AT THE DIMOCK CENTER. CHC STAFF WERE INCLUDED IN THE AFOREMENTIONED BILH-FUNDED TEMPORARY HOUSING PROGRAM FOR STAFF. BILH ALSO SUPPORTED SAFETY NET AFFILIATE HOSPITALS WITH REAL-TIME BILH COVID-19 PROTOCOLS AND POLICIES, MED/SURG AND ICU BED LOAD-BALANCING EFFORTS, ICU STAFFING, AND PPE NEEDS. IN FY 2021, BILH CONTINUED TO PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE COMMONWEALTH'S RESPONSE TO THIS UNPRECEDENTED PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS, MOST NOTABLY THROUGH ITS PATIENT VACCINATION EFFORTS. BILH WILL PROVIDE DETAIL ON THESE EFFORTS IN ITS FY 2021 TAX RETURN FILING.