April 2020 Newsletter

The magnitude of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the world has been unprecedented and the impact has been felt across every one of our lives. The GRock Board of Directors, the Executive Committee, and I owe a lot to you, our colleagues, for giving us the privilege of trust with decisions that will impact this organization today and into the future.

We are committed to withstanding the current crisis and will do what is needed to assure we come out of this poised to serve our patients and referral sources with greater vigor than ever before. Our mission remains the same, to be the providers of choice

for diagnosing, treating, and preventing digestive disease.

The week of March 9, our management team closely monitored the CDC website and maintained contact with the Colorado Department of Health in an effort to understand their evolving recommendations to keep our patients and staff safe and to minimize the risk of COVID-19 exposure.

On Sunday March 15, our Joint Venture Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the medical societies, voted to stop elective GI procedures to eliminate unnecessary COVID-19 exposure and to assure the hospital acute care facilities had the resources they need to meet the looming demand from COVID-19 infections.

As you are aware, the pandemic moved quickly across the country. Within the course of a week our leadership was confronted with a difficult reality – our revenues have been reduced by at least 85% without a known end point. While our response was swift, we labored over the impact our decisions would have on our colleagues and their families. The furloughs which resulted were unavoidable.

Concurrent to ramping down our operations, we identified a telehealth platform and worked diligently to implement this platform to allow us some media to engage our patients in need. Today, we evaluate our options to tap into government resources and capital as outlined in the CARES Act and through programs initiated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). We are also working through new legislation related to the Families First Response to Coronavirus Act which includes paid sick leave and emergency family medical leave for those directly impacted by COVID-19.

While the past few weeks have been challenging, we are certain that these difficult times will pass. We appreciate your patience, dedication and resilience. GRock will move swiftly to re-instate our furloughed colleagues and we look forward to ramping up operations as soon as we are able. Our values, the culture we are building, and our mission to serve patients with digestive diseases will prevail. Please know we appreciate you and wish you and your families health and well-being.

Sincerely,

Jason Richardson

COO

Gastroenterology of the Rockies