During this busy time of year, it is important to take a minute to reflect on our collective accomplishments and recognize everyone for the tremendous amount of work, dedication and compassionate care that you have been providing. And what better time to do that than during the upcoming healthcare appreciation events that are taking place during the next several weeks.
Starting next week, we will begin to celebrate our organization-wide employee recognition weeks: Patient Experience Week (April 25-29) followed by Nurses Week (May 6-12) and Hospital Week (May 9-15).
There are also many other healthcare appreciation events scheduled during this time that we are excited to recognize. They include:
- Occupational Therapy Month: April
- Medical Laboratory Professionals Week: April 24-30
- Administrative Professionals Day: April 27
- Critical Care Recognition Month: May
- Oncology Nursing Month: May
- Mental Health Awareness Month: May
- Better Speech and Hearing Month: May
- Biomedical Engineering (Healthcare Technology Management) Week: May 15-21
- National EMS Week: May 15-21
As we thought about a theme for our celebration, one thing has become very clear about our employees and faculty especially throughout the pandemic: our strength. As highlighted in the new advertising campaign for Stony Brook Medicine, which will begin next week, we define strength as “the capacity to have great courage. The ability to perform at the highest caliber. To be trusted, relied on. A leader.” Our perseverance and expertise to care for patients both with and without COVID-19 still shines brightly. The strong teamwork displayed during this time has allowed us to do what we do best: provide safe, high-quality and compassionate care to our patients.
Our celebration happens to coincide with the launch of this new advertising campaign, which consists of television spots, print advertising and a radio ad featuring the voices of our own employees. It showcases how the work we do at Stony Brook enables our patients to live their best lives and how our collective strength as a team leads to stronger tomorrows for our patients.
We know that these connections and compassionate moments we have with our patients instill a sense of trust in them, and research shows this can lead to safer care with better outcomes for patients, decrease a patient’s length of stay and increase financial performance. In fact, when we interact in these ways, it also creates more joy and engagement in the work we do as a healthcare team.
In order for us to provide an optimal experience for our patients, it’s important for us to take care of ourselves and each other since the patient experience and employee engagement are so closely connected. Together we care for our patients and their loved ones during a time in their lives when they often feel stress, anxiety and fear, and in doing so with dedication, compassion and strength, we make a difference.
During our Celebration of Strength, I hope that you’ll be able to participate in the many events and offerings that will be presented over the next several weeks, which include leadership and Code Lavender rounding; leadership welcomes; our second annual virtual talent show, Stony Brook’s Got Talent!; Blessing of the Hands; and Resilience Room and other well-being offerings, to name a few.
There will be some new events featured as well, including a social media takeover by our employees and a digital board where everyone can share their thoughts about what strength means to them. Each week, we will share a calendar of events in Stony Brook Health Beat and on ThePulse, so be sure to check both regularly for updates.
I feel so honored to be part of such a dynamic, compassionate and devoted team. Your strength transforms lives. On behalf of the entire Stony Brook Medicine leadership team, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for your dedication and for making a difference in the lives of others. Thank you!
Carol