Aspire Indiana Health has instituted Hero Pay for its frontline responders to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in daily shift bonuses for staff who interact in-person with clients.
Hero Pay is now being implemented retroactive to April 6, according to Lise Ann Ebert, Vice President of People Operations for Aspire. The non-profit fully integrated healthcare organization, which provides primary medical, behavioral health and support services, is also exploring other benefit enhancements to protect its workforce during the crisis.
“Hero Pay is about giving something extra to those who are providing person-to-person care during extraordinarily challenging times,” Ebert said. “We are seeing so many people across the country putting themselves at risk to help others, from nurses and doctors to grocery store workers and truck drivers. Aspire wanted to do something to acknowledge the heroes in our own ranks.”
Unlike some healthcare providers, particularly on the behavioral health side, who have had to cut back on shifts or even furlough workers, Aspire is operating at approximately the same capacity as before Indiana’s stay-at-home order went into effect.
Appointments are now conducted primarily via telehealth, most of them video meetings, with in-person interactions as needed at one of Aspire’s six health clinics. All recommended health safety protocols are observed during in-person appointments.
Because of its tremendous growth over the last year, Aspire is now well above the 500-employee cap for government pandemic assistance programs recently signed into law and thus not eligible to receive funds.
Learn more at AspireIndiana.org.