Leadership Updates
Leadership Update: A Message of Thanks During Health Care Week
Published: May 12, 2021
The words “thank you” hardly capture the sheer gratitude I have for every member of the Methodist Health System family.
When COVID-19 entered our community in March 2020, no one knew what to expect. We saw what was happening in New York and the Pacific Northwest – but it didn’t seem real until it hit home on March 6.
Thankfully, in those initial weeks, we weren’t feeling the burden of a lot of patients. This allowed us to take a look at our resources. The work done at our respective incident command locations was outstanding and fully prepared us for what was to come.
The months that followed were challenging. Halting surgeries was a blow to our patients and our financials. But we persevered. You, our employees, became cross-trained in other areas to continue caring for patients. We, as a health system, adapted to implement best practices in keeping staff and patients safe. Our clinics quickly became testing locations. Our IT team rapidly deployed a COVID-19 hotline and emotional support call center. Transformations and modifications too numerous to name took hold.
I feel I can confidently state that there isn’t a single member of the Methodist family who hasn’t been impacted by COVID-19 in some fashion. Perhaps you, a family member, a friend or a coworker contracted the virus. Maybe you helped a child navigate e-learning or supported a loved one as their business was forced to close. We’ve all been touched by the same disease that’s claimed the lives of nearly 600,000 Americans and over 2,300 Nebraskans. And yet, we’ve carried on.
To those on the front lines who’ve endured the unimaginable, thank you. This has been the longest shift of your lives. On behalf of those families who couldn’t be with their loved ones in those final moments, I thank you. In true Methodist fashion, you provided The Meaning of Care in some of our most challenging days.
As we enter Health Care Week (May 10-14), please take a moment to enjoy the celebrations being held across all of our affiliates. In addition to our usual festivities, our foundations have special events planned in each hospital location. You can find those activities below:
On behalf of myself and the health system leadership team, this week is truly about you. It’s about your sacrifice. It’s about you rising up when we needed you most. It’s about supporting one another on the hard days. It’s about cheering for each other on the good days. It’s about the people in our health system coming together, caring for our community and beating the odds.