About a decade ago, it became fashionable for all companies to call themselves a tech company, no matter what industry they were in. Now in the age of COVID, every business is a healthcare business. And all the prominent corporations are hiring, or have long had, a director of health.
That role has expanded dramatically since the pandemic began. Prior to the coronavirus, a health director could have been responsible for employee wellness and fitness programs, ensuring employees had access to mental health counseling, creating a healthy environment both physically and mentally, and responding to health problems. Health. Health. Health. small-scale public, such as seasonal flu. .
Dr. Marleece Barber; Dr. Troy Brennan, CVS Health Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer; Disney Medical Director Dr. Pamela Hymel; The Dean of the University of Miami, John Quelch; and Dr. Kyu Rhee, IBM vice president and chief health officer.
Each of the panel members spoke about how establishing trust before the pandemic makes it easier for them to accept employees for their public health decisions.
They need to create a culture of trust not just with customers but with employees. “
Initially, as a leadership team, we decided that security was our top priority and that we would have a very close alignment with the CEO that established the tone. “”
In July, Disney reopened Walt Disney World Orlando to the public just as Florida was becoming a hotspot for the coronavirus. But as the company’s chief physician, Hymel said they were confident that they could open the doors of the Magic Kingdom without putting guests or cast members at risk. Confidence was key to that.
which we knew were working, in our parks outside of the United States.”
While some new corporate titles may seem like a fuzzy sign of virtue, the panel emphasized the importance of a chief health officer getting a real seat at the table in shaping a company’s response to public health crises.
Since COVID is unlikely to leave us for long, that seat will need to be permanent.
