Alumni on the Frontlines: Janet Yim, MPH '19

Two of the biggest challenges facing hospitals and health care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic have been managing resources and planning for the future.

As the number of confirmed cases rises, health care providers are responding to make sure their facilities have adequate ICU beds, regular patient beds, ventilators and other resources critical to patient care.

Some are relying on a tool known as a “Surge Demand Calculator” to help them manage the outbreak. The calculator is a product of Sg2, a subsidiary of Vizient Inc., the nation’s leading health care performance improvement company.

Janet Yim, MPH ’19, an associate consultant in Sg2’s associate rotational program, is helping provider organizations and government agencies learn more about the calculator’s capabilities in helping improve the delivery of patient care.

Updated on a weekly basis, the free calculator allows users to model COVID-19 surge impact across varying populations and to apply capacity considerations for regional market, health system or hospital planning. The calculator’s four modeling scenarios take into account disease transmission rates, the impact of various interventions like social distancing and home isolation, and existing health system resources.

Yim is currently part of a team developing additional calculators for Sg2 to help providers adequately prepare for all phases of the pandemic. Those calculators are in addition to a Financial Recovery calculator recently released by Sg2.

“I feel fortunate to be working for a company like Sg2 in helping to deliver important tools health care providers can use in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Yim. “My experience at the Yale School of Public Health has prepared me very well to take on challenges and learn new skills quickly and effectively. I’m also getting a chance to apply my evidence-based research skills to this process, which is very exciting.”