- On International Book Day, the CEO of Ribera highlights "her dedication to service and absolute commitment to patients" in the presentation of the written report of the health group on the pandemic, which took place at the Valencia Mercantile Association
- 'Covid: the story of our heroes' includes real testimonials from the Ribera group professionals who took care of patients at the bedside, as well as those who anticipated the crisis to reorganize hospitals, buy the necessary safety material and ensure the protection of health workers
The CEO of the Ribera healthcare group, Elisa Tarazona, today highlighted "the vocation of service and absolute dedication to the patient of the professionals in our hospitals throughout the pandemic". "They have all been at the level of the best in the world," she pointed out during the presentation of 'Covid: the story of our heroes', on International Book Day, which took place in the Mercantile Athenaeum of Valencia.
Accompanied by the executive director of Centene for Europe and director of Ribera, Alberto de Rosa, Tarazona has presented "as a tribute to all Spanish Health professionals" the written and visual memory of the pandemic in the group's hospitals, which includes 198 photographs and thirty testimonies, since the first Covid patient from the Iberian Peninsula was detected in the Torrejón University Hospital, managed by Ribera, until the end of the first wave.
Tarazona has ensured that one of the most important lessons learned from this pandemic is the enhancement of Health for the whole of society and for political leaders. “Thanks to Covid, we are the majority who value our Health as one of the best in the world, because in a situation like this, we have shown that we are all necessary, that together we are stronger and that public-private collaboration has saved and continues to save many lives," he explained.
After thanking the author of the texts, Sergio Aspas, as well as the authors of the photographs, Miguel Vizcaíno, Miguel Riopa -cover photo, this year's AFP Award- and David Loro, the CEO of Ribera recalled the axes of the management of this pandemic in the group's health centers. “Clinical leadership, anticipation, coordination with the different administrations to care for nursing homes and maintain fluid communication, and prioritizing the safety of professionals have been the keys to the day-to-day of the pandemic in hospitals. of the group," he explained. All of them are also detailed in the book, as well as in the documentary on which the work was inspired, and which was recorded in its entirety in the university hospitals of Torrejón,Vinalopo y Torrevieja and the Hospital Ribera Povisa, and that was projected after the presentation of the book.
As an example of anticipation, Elisa Tarazona explained that "one of the first decisions we made to stop infections at the hospital level was to create two hospitals in one in record time, with an area for Covid patients and another for non-Covid patients", has explained, first in the Hospital de Torrejón and later in the rest of the centers of the group. At that date, the hospitals had not yet joined the group. Ribera Polusa (Lugo) and Ribera Almendralejo (Badajoz).
Tarazona has summarized what the first wave of the pandemic meant for the Ribera health group: more than 2.000 hours of hard work, close to 3.500 diagnosed cases and a 113% increase in ICU beds, more than 6.400 professionals dedicated to caring for those who more needed more than 500 contracts to reinforce the health personnel. “In those months, we invested more than 5 million in equipment and personnel, we distributed nearly 700 masks, 17 liters of hydroalcoholic gel and disinfectant, 7 million gloves and 650 personal protective equipment (PPE) and they never lacked material of protection to our toilets”, she has assured proudly.
The CEO of Ribera has also emotionally recalled the thousands of messages of support received in those months, the donations and the involvement of health professionals to continue caring for non-Covid patients, even at home, with the online program Cuídate En Home.
For her part, the president of the Ateneo, Carmen de Rosa, thanked the Ribera Group and all the health workers in Spain for "the dedication and priceless work they are doing at the healthcare level, always at the service of a society that will be eternally grateful for his self-denial."
