GuideWell Mutual Holding Corporation (GuideWell), the parent to a family of forward-thinking companies focused on transforming health care, is launching Reshaping Health Access, a statewide challenge to identify solutions focused on addressing health access and literacy to underserved populations in Florida. Both the COVID-19 health pandemic and the recent focus on racial injustice are critical public health issues that are shining a spotlight on the need to address health disparities. Reshaping Health Access will serve as one of several efforts GuideWell is taking to help our communities...
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Because of fears of contracting COVID-19, health care professionals say people throughout the country are afraid to go to emergency rooms and urgent care centers. Now, health care providers are sounding the alarm. Bethany Carlson, RN, who is a nurse manager at the GuideWell Emergency Doctors in Winter Park, says delaying care can be dangerous---even life threatening. She wants to urge the public not to put off seeking necessary or emergency care for themselves or their loved ones. “A lot of the times they’re ignoring them (symptoms) a lot longer than they should so by the time...
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Tampa Bay will soon have a lower-cost alternative to the emergency room. GuideWell Emergency Doctors announced it will expand into Hillsborough and Pinellas counties with six new locations. The innovative medical practice, operated by Crucial Care, will treat both urgent and emergency medical needs to patients of all ages and provide an alternative to overcrowded, high-cost emergency rooms by combining the convenience and low-cost of an urgent care clinic with the technology and medical personnel associated with a hospital ER. High Quality...
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While many of our local economies are beginning to take slow steps to reopen, we know for sure the implications for the coronavirus pandemic will be long lasting. Caring for our members, customers, partners, and employees, as this situation evolves will require a long term, sustainable response. We are uniquely positioned as a mission-driven health solutions enterprise, to respond to this pandemic in meaningful ways. Our holistic approach to health care is what sets us apart. Our work goes far beyond providing quality health insurance, and the compassion we're demonstrating during...
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By: Karen Thompson, Enterprise Communications The COVID-19 public health crisis has resulted in a critical shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including gloves, gowns, N95 respirators and especially face masks. Our company immediately stepped up to address this shortage and the overall safety needs for hospitals, physicians and nurses in provider offices across Florida, the GuideWell Health family of health care workers (Sanitas, GuideWell Emergency Doctors and Diagnostic Medical Clinic staff), and for GuideWell employees. Through several initiatives and partnerships, GuideWell...
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By: Sonya Ferris, Enterprise Communications National Nurses Week is celebrated annually from May 6 - 12, in honor of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Intended to recognize the vital role nurses play in health care, it’s especially poignant this year in light of the COVID-19 crisis. It’s fitting that the theme for the week is “Compassion, Expertise, Trust.” Shortly after stay-at-home orders were given in Florida, nurses across GuideWell put their compassion and expertise into action as they kicked off an initiative to provide...
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Throughout the GuideWell enterprise, there are many nurses in many different roles. National Nurses Week, which begins each year on May 6 and ends on May 12 - the birthday of nursing founder Florence Nightingale- is an exciting opportunity for our company to recognize the significant contributions of nurses in our organization. Recently, we caught up with a few nurses to hear more about how nursing has had an impact on their lives, especially during COVID-19. Kirsten Baker, RN, BSN, MBA, CHC | Florida Blue Center Kirsten has been a nurse for 12 years. She works at one of our Florida Blue...
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Sharon Daily has spent nearly three decades as a social worker caring for older adults and those with disabilities. But, the past few months have been unlike any other time. During COVID-19, her work has shifted from in-home visits to telephone check-in calls. And, the types of conversations she’s having with clients are different, too. Prior to COVID-19, Daily helped health plan members navigate all aspects of their life. Now, she’s focused on making sure people are safe and their basic needs are met. “Every phone call, every check-in is dealing with the more practical...
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Irene Seidt hadn’t heard from one of her elderly diabetic patients in a while, so she reached out to check on him. Seidt wanted to tell him that she and others in our retail centers were working from their homes due to COVID-19 concerns. She wanted to see if he was taking the precautions they had talked about. And she wanted him to know that although his wife passed away last year, he was not alone. The 87-year-old man couldn’t believe Seidt had taken the time to reach out. That a nurse from his insurance company cared enough about him to do that. “I have no one,”...
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Our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health goes far beyond providing affordable, high quality health insurance. For us, as a health solutions enterprise, it means finding innovative ways to ensure that our employees, members, neighbors and communities are safe and healthy. And there's been no more important time to do this than right now. Throughout the course of this pandemic, we've heard a great deal about the shortage of personal protective equipment, or PPE. I'm proud to share that we are playing a role in helping to address this issue. Recently we received an...
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