Weathering the storm
February 8, 2011
Last week was a great reminder to me about the excellence and dedication of our staff here at Children's Memorial Hospital. I feel fortunate to work with so many individuals who went to great lengths to ensure smooth clinical operations despite a record-breaking blizzard. Here are a few examples:
- Our engineering staff, who worked around the clock to ensure our walkways and driveway were passable for patients, families and staff. Several of them spent the night in their offices, sleeping just a few hours before returning to work.
- Staff members who helped families shovel out stuck cars so they could get home.
- Physicians, nurses and other clinicians who were not scheduled to work but volunteered to cover shifts for others who could not make it to the hospital.
- A nurse from an inpatient unit who actually drove to her colleagues’ homes to pick them up for their shift.
- Staff members who stayed overnight at the hospital or at neighboring colleagues’ homes in order to get to work in the morning.
- An organ procurement team who drove three hours during the height of the blizzard to pick up a liver at an area hospital, and the expert team who performed a lifesaving liver transplant when they returned at 2 a.m. on Wednesday.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to all our physicians, nurses, clinical and non-clinical staff who not only braved the storm, but went above and beyond to provide excellent care to children and families.
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