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RECLAIMING OUR POT O ’ GOLD AUTHOR Cortney Burden
Kentucky Eye Care , established in 1899 , is the longest operating ophthalmology practice in Kentucky . For over 120 years and counting , our physicians , management and staff have provided excellent eye care for generations of patients . As the Practice Administrator , I proudly lead and serve this group . Our staff actively engage with the American Academy of Ophthalmology , Greater Louisville Medical Society and similar associations , seeking to remain on the front line of education and innovation . We hold tight to the traditional , caring , personal approach and are committed to Louisville and the surrounding counties in which we serve .
As confident as our leadership team has been in running our practice , our watershed moment arrived uninvited in early March 2020 . For decades , our management team has met weekly . We review patient care , create training plans , address staffing concerns , combat software issues , plan celebrations and keep every manager and department moving in the same direction . Essentially , the manager meetings run the day-to-day operations of the practice .
During business as usual , we spent time in late February and early March planning our annual St . Patrick ’ s Day celebration for the staff . Every year , we offer a variety of green breakfast and lunch treats . We fill the black “ pot o ’ gold ” with small gold coins . On St . Patty ’ s Day , each staff has one chance to reach into the sacred “ pot o ’ gold ” and pull out a gold coin . Each coin is numbered and corresponds with a special prize . St . Patty ’ s Day prizes include chocolates , $ 5 bills , gift cards and certificates for PTO ( Paid Time Off ). One lucky staffer wins the coveted certificate for eight hours of PTO . Annually , this tradition fills our offices with exciting energy all day . We share our celebration with patients , laughing , feeling lucky , making memories that become part of office lore .
As we finalized these plans in a March manager meeting , we began discussing COVID-19 . A pandemic was on the horizon . COVID-19 was a new , raw and lethal threat to our team . Not one manager had been able to take a class , listen to a podcast or read up on how best to respond to the news of COVID-19 : no one out there knew either . We had no historical data or colleagues to turn to because we were all facing this together , simultaneously , all of us total rookies , trying to learn together how to prepare . We , like
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