Wow. October was a busy month! But, it was a “good” busy, with our LPN hiring process well underway, recognition of Care Management, Emergency Nurses, MAs, PAs, Respiratory Therapy, Infection Prevention, Physical Therapy, Pharmacy, Healthcare Quality, Health Education and Sterile Processing, our eight “40 under 40” Nurse Leaders, our “Great 100 Nurses in Arkansas,” and UAMS Service Awards. Thankfully, our COVID numbers continue to slowly decline, and we now have only a handful of hospitalized patients with COVID.
I also had the honor of helping represent UAMS at the Boy Scouts of America’s “Heart of the Eagle” luncheon honoring Healthcare Heroes from UAMS, Arkansas Children’s, Baptist Health and CHI St. Vincent. You can see the beautiful award and hero’s cape in the display case in the hospital lobby.
As I run errands, attend events like this luncheon and eat at local restaurants, it seems like the world is “waking up” after a long illness. Just like any recovery from a serious illness, there are setbacks and ups and downs as we move forward.
One of the many projects currently underway here at UAMS is carefully evaluating safety measures to ensure we provide effective safeguards to protect our staff, patients and visitors. I’m sure many of you read about two healthcare professionals who were shot and killed on a maternity unit in Dallas. Dr. Michelle Krause is talking with leaders at other area hospitals about ways to make all our facilities safer, and we are reviewing current policies and practices here at UAMS. One of the benefits of COVID is that we have significantly reduced the number of public access points on our main campus, and many of these will remain closed or badge access only for safety reasons.
We all have a role in keeping our facilities safe. Please do not let unauthorized people into our buildings. If you see a patient or visitor at an employee entrance, direct them to the nearest public entrance. If you see a visitor in the hospital or Emergency Department without a badge, please direct them to the appropriate entrance. Working together, we can help keep everyone safe.
The next two months will likely be just as busy as October. First, please vote Tuesday if you haven’t already done so. Second, don’t forget benefits open enrollment, which will close Nov. 14. We’ll also honor our veterans, including many of our own UAMS nurses, on Nov. 11, and celebrate our radiology team and our APRNs. Please mark your calendar now for the State of Nursing presentation at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16. This will be both an in-person and Zoom event. I hope you will be able to participate and hear first-hand all the exciting news. Then, the official holiday season officially kicks off. Mark plans now to attend the UAMS holiday luncheon on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
But first – don’t forget to “fall back” this weekend!
Trenda