Message From SMRMC CEO, Charla Rowley 05-08-2020

Message From SMRMC CEO, Charla Rowley 05-08-2020

Good morning. This is Charla Rowley with Southwest Health.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Here at Southwest we have been busy with the reopening of elective procedures and clinics in addition to caring for patients that have continued to require care throughout this pandemic. This continues to be a challenging time for our country, state and community. There has been some loosening of restrictions by our government but please continue to remember the war is not over. We are still in the heat of this battle. Continue following all the safety guidelines as you do start to get out for those important errands. Wear your masks in public and wear it properly for your protection as well as others and continue practicing social distancing. We want to remind you our clinics are open so please make those appoints for monitoring your health. I can’t express enough how important it is to practice preventative care. Especially if you have a current condition or known issue. Your health and safety are our top priority and we have implemented stringent precautions to ensure you are able to get the care you need in a safe environment. I have heard people are scared they’ll catch coronavirus if they go to a clinic or hospital for care. Please hear me. Of all the places you could catch COVID 19, our clinics and hospital should be the least of your concern. We have policies, procedures and practices in place that far surpass all other types of businesses. We do this to ensure the highest level of caution and the highest level of hygiene and sanitation for our patients and our staff. So again, I urge you, don’t let any signs or symptoms go unchecked. You are far more at risk of a possible serious health issue if you don’t come in than you are of catching COVID 19 if you do.

This is national nurse’s week, so we have also been busy celebrating our nurses. We just cannot thank them enough for everything that they do always but certainly during this pandemic. 2020 was proclaimed “The Year of the Nurse” in honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. How fitting the timing of this being during the largest pandemic of our lifetime where nurses have been challenged in ways like never before. We had our annual nurse’s breakfast yesterday, although it did look different than prior years due to social distancing. We prepared to-go plates and our executive team had the honor and privilege of serving each nurse in our facility their breakfast. Thank you for allowing us to do that and show you some love. We appreciate everything you do every single day.Also, yesterday our halls were lit up by our asst director of nursing Shelia Williams. Her hospital wide overhead words of appreciation to our nurses were absolutely encouraging and uplifting. She is such a positive influence on our entire team and a complete joy to work with. Thank you for your leadership Shelia. We are blessed to call you ours. Not only do we want to recognize our nurses here at Southwest Health. we want to recognize all nurses no matter where you work. Being a nurse is certainly a calling and not for the faint of heart. You are each a gift and a blessing to those you care for. Thank you for your service.

Sunday is Mother’s Day. So, if you haven’t thought of something special for your mom this is your reminder. Our mothers are the backbone of our families and our communities. They do what no one else can do and usually what no one else wants to do. HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY to every mother out there. You are truly special and appreciated. First Baptist Church of Summit will be providing lunch to all our employees at Southwest on Mother’s Day. What an amazing blessing. Thank you so much for this wonderful show of appreciation and love.

At Southwest throughout this pandemic we have had 163 patients test positive for COVID 19. Thirty-nine have required hospitalization at some point during their illness. We have lost 9 precious lives to this awful virus and we continue to keep those families in our thoughts and prayers. However, we have also had 29 recover and walk out of our facility. For those we are thankful. Our community is truly blessed with an amazing Health System made up of people you know that truly care for every patient as they would their own family. Because this is our community and you are our family. We are YOUR hospital. Our entire purpose is to provide you and those you love with the quality care you need right here in your hometown. Thank you for all the love and support you have shown us during this extremely difficult time. It is our honor and privilege to be allowed to serve each of you.

I hope everyone as a wonderful weekend. Thank you and continue to stay safe.