HJAR Jul/Aug 2020

48 JUL / AUG 2020 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS COMMUNITY HEALTH DIALOGUE COLUMN COMMUNITY HEALTH THE EMERGENCE of COVID-19 has made healthcare leaders recognize that we have a fractured delivery system in desperate need of public and private cooperation. Health- care leaders must expand the workplace with career opportunities essential to fight future pandemics, in addition to fostering the betterment of the entire delivery system. Healthcare entities, organizations, and pro- viders have been working to help treat posi- tive COVID patients, and increase access to mass testing. The public health system across the United States, including Arkansas, has been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Efforts are underway to address shortcomings in acute care infrastructure and equipment, while also creating a great- er awareness of, and attention to safety for patients and healthcare staff. Some of those shortfalls included employee safety, lack of PPE equipment, and technology. Acute care leaders should have an ap- preciation of how information systems and digitalization can provide significant benefits across the entire care delivery continuum. Digital capabilities and clinical knowledge- based treatment needs to be accessible in real-time, evolving and keeping up with the changing nature of the illness. On a more subtle note, COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of these digital processes and capabilities in responding rapidly to healthcare needs, solely because care teams and the patients depend on it. Information technology can bring clinical knowledge to those clinicians providing care where and when they are needed the most. This is why we must begin to examine our future workforce. We must assure the availability of a Healthcare Workforce Through a COVID-19 TINTED LENS Necessity is the mother of innovation. OLD PROVERB This pandemic is demonstrating that we need to rethink our current delivery system.