Covenant Health, a non-profit home healthcare and hospice organization, required a comprehensive and cost-efficient safety solution to protect employees working in uncontrolled environments. The solution needed to mitigate potential hazards, enable almost immediate dispatch of emergency services to the employee’s location, foster a sense of increased safety and confidence among employees, and allow the organization near real-time visibility when an incident occurs.
Covenant Health is part of a 9-hospital system that shares security personnel resources. With an annual volume of 7,000 admissions, those resources were insufficient to adequately address the volume of safety requests.
Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Covenant Health providers had the ability to collaborate directly with local law enforcement before entering difficult environments. However, in the wake of increased emergencies following COVID-19, local resources have become strained and law enforcement cannot provide the same level of support. Covenant Health recognized the need to address this issue due to the increased demand for assistance and limited available security resources.
Covenant Health’s rollout of Aware360’s AlertGPS safety solution resulted in improved worker safety, streamlined communication and organizational awareness during emergency events, and significant operational and budgetary benefits. Gina Hollenbeck, Director of HomeCare and Hospice said, "Our biggest expense in home healthcare is our people and their time. When we can be more efficient, it has a big impact for us in lots of ways, including financially. It’s also a deficit for our competitors in this market right now because our people, who may be considering exploring the job market, see that they don’t offer similar safety procedures.”
Covenant’s healthcare professionals enjoy enhanced safety and security in the field and the confidence of knowing that their organization cares for them, leaving them free to focus on Covenant's patient-first mission.
Covenant Health is the area’s largest locally owned, non-profit home health and hospice provider, with one of the largest rehabilitation departments in East Tennessee. Annually, they care for over 4,700 patients in Knoxville and surrounding areas.
Since 1978, they have focused on providing the highest quality of service for their patients. Team members strive to honor Covenant Health’s mission to improve the quality of life in the community through better health, and to exemplify their pledge of excellence.
Covenant Health’s workforce faces a series of safety challenges as they strive to deliver high-quality care to patients.
Covenant care staff visit diverse environments ranging from patient homes in residential neighborhoods to remote, secluded locations. Covenant’s providers visit unfamiliar locations and encounter a range of patient and family members' behaviors. At times, situations can escalate and become unsafe. According to Todd Robbins, Covenant’s Business Support Analyst, “when people see workers in scrubs, people often think we they have medical supplies, including pharmaceuticals, on hand.” National statistics indicate that healthcare workers are 5x more likely to experience workplace violence than an average worker.
From time to time during a patient visit, Covenant staff face emergency situations where the patient needs to have an ambulance sent quickly. In these moments, it is essential for staff to be able to focus on patient care.
Covenant staff are regularly on the road as they travel to patients' homes, exposing personnel to potential road accidents and hazards. The need for efficient communication and timely response in case of accidents or safety concerns on the road is critical.
Covenant Health faces the challenge of maintaining effective communication and response times during emergency situations. Recent staffing shortages at emergency dispatch (911) often result in delays, or in extreme cases, unanswered calls.
Recognizing these significant challenges, Covenant Health needed to find a solution that would enhance worker safety, provide almost immediate access to help, and streamline communication processes, all within a limited budget.
After years of looking for a reliable safety solution that met not only their technical needs but also their budget, Covenant discovered Aware360's AlertGPS solution. The unique features and capabilities of AlertGPS ActiveHalo® devices, together with their secure alerting platform and 24/7 monitoring center, aligned with Covenant Health's mission of putting safety and patient care first, making it an invaluable addition to their operations.
After completing a successful pilot, Covenant Health launched AlertGPS using their ActiveHalo® devices on AT&T’s 4G network. The organization emphasized to its staff that AlertGPS was not just providing a device, but offering a personal guardian that is almost always online and accessible.
With AlertGPS, Covenant has access to companion mode. Trained agents are available 24/7 when a staff member finds themselves uneasy for any reason.
Deploying the AlertGPS safety solution powerfully reinforces Covenant Health's core values. It exemplifies their commitment to their staff by prioritizing employee well-being and safety. In addition, by providing a safety tool that enhances a sense of confidence and security, Covenant employees are now better able to focus on their primary mission of delivering exceptional patient care. Finally, AlertGPS helps Covenant utilize resources more effectively by preventing potential employee downtime due to safety concerns.
Covenant Health has made significant strides in bolstering the safety of its dedicated home healthcare professionals. With AlertGPS, their personnel now have a lifeline to almost immediate assistance across Covenant’s 17-county service area, especially in critical situations occurring at patients' homes, during transit, or in other uncontrolled environments. “Any time we've had challenges, AlertGPS has been consistent at being accessible, listening, and wanting to respond to our concerns and our needs. My people in the field matter as much to AlertGPS as they do to me,” said Robbins.
Incorporating AlertGPS has streamlined internal communication at Covenant Health during safety events. This advanced system delivers near real-time alerts and notifications, eliminating the need for manual processes and providing situational awareness across the organization. This translates to swifter response times, minimal delays, and an organized incident management system, which allows Covenant to act quickly to mitigate risks during emergency events. For a non-profit, patient-first organization, these efficiencies are critical.
Covenant Health's service area encompasses a diverse, often rural landscape. AT&T’s nationwide network, together with the technical failover capabilities incorporated in the ActiveHalo® device, extends protective coverage in these challenging regions, enabling Covenant healthcare professionals to get help when they need it.
A fundamental advantage provided by AlertGPS is their dedicated 24/7 response center with highly trained agents available to handle calls and ensure rapid dispatch of emergency services anywhere nationwide (police, fire, EMT). The critical distinction, as Robbins noted, is that Covenant can ensure its Safety Action Plan is followed even in if the 911 queue is congested or the user is non-responsive, ensuring that Covenant’s healthcare professionals and patients receive almost immediate attention at the touch of a button.
Professional healthcare workers are in limited supply and are difficult to attract. Offering a safety solution to Covenant’s workforce is a market differentiator. When employees feel valued and protected, their overall job satisfaction and morale increase. This, in turn, leads to higher productivity, increased loyalty, and a positive work environment. "We tell our employees to use the device 24/7, 365 days a year. Our workers are an important resource to us, even when they are not on the clock. Simple things make employees feel better, which makes their day better, which makes the experience of their job better", said Robbins, adding:
Covenant Health realized several “quick wins” shortly after launching AlertGPS. With a quarter of the nursing population leaving their profession due to safety concerns in the workplace, employees almost immediately understood the value of having a one-touch button to access 24/7 help. The solution bolsters Covenant’s safety culture, and in turn, provides Covenant with a competitive advantage in attracting and maintaining talented Healthcare professionals. “Our times have changed, and so have our thoughts. Things we used to not worry about, like going into peoples’ homes, are now front of mind - that's one of the areas we are glad we have AlertGPS”, said Hollenbeck, noting the shift in safety concerns over her 27 years at Covenant and the pressing need for viable solutions.
Covenant Health’s providers frequently use the SOS button on their ActiveHalo® device to call for emergency patient transport. With a quick touch of a button, the handsfree two-way speakerphone is engaged, the 24/7 response center agent knows the location of the provider and can almost immediately dispatch emergency assistance. This means that the health care provider is free to focus on the urgent situation in front of them.
In a recent emergency situation, an employee pressed her SOS button and a rapid response team arrived at the location within just 10 minutes. This quick response proved instrumental in providing life-saving care, underscoring the device's crucial role in personal safety during emergencies.
Covenant Health is committed to the well-being of their employees, as demonstrated by their decision to deploy an innovative safety solution to protect its mobile workforce, and Covenant Health looks forward to continuing to strengthen their safety culture through their partnership with AlertGPS as they fulfill their mission to provide patient-first care.