Today I’ll say a few things about the pandemic, about nurses, and about all of our employees and your importance to me and to UMMC.
First, I hope it’s abundantly clear to everybody that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Even though stay-at-home orders have been eased, we are not on the “other side” of our peak, either statewide or at UMMC. Our patient counts are hovering in the 60s and 70s, the state’s death toll is steadily rising and new case counts have consistently been over 200 in recent days.
Compared to what was initially predicted, Mississippi has successfully “flattened the curve” through shelter-in-place measures, the use of masks in public settings and social distancing. That is a big accomplishment. Most important, our hospitals have not been overrun with critically ill COVID-19 patients as we’ve seen in other hot spots across the country and this bought us the time we needed to be as prepared as we could be.
It seems inevitable that as people engage in more public activities, we will have more cases. My hope is the most vulnerable segments of our population will continue to exercise caution and stay “safer at home.” If we can keep the baseline level of cases at a manageable number through the summer, it may be the best we can hope for, even as we prepare for a possible second wave of the virus in the fall. In the meantime, work will continue here and elsewhere on the development of effective treatments and a vaccine.
Everything I am reading and hearing about this virus leads me to believe we will be engaged in this battle for the foreseeable future. I am convinced that as a state and a nation, we cannot sustain the shelter in place approach for the duration of the virus. The balance between safety from a medical perspective and economic stability is a difficult one to strike. We (the citizens) have to be smart. It is unhealthy for the person as well as the community for an individual to be without work, without income, unable to pay bills, or unable to buy necessities such as medication.
We have continued ramping up our adult and pediatric clinical operations, scheduling patients for appointments and procedures that have some urgency to get done. Many measures are being implemented to ensure that our patients and our clinical and support staff are protected from infection. Across the nation, utilization of the health care system by non-COVID-19 patients has shown a marked decrease, even for emergencies like chest pain. As we gear up operations, we have to reassure our patients that coming to UMMC for a clinic visit or hospitalization does not put them at increased risk.
At the center of our response to this crisis, of course, has been our 3,000-plus nurses. It’s National Nurses Week, and there hasn’t been a time in my memory when the debt we owe to these front line heroes is more apparent. As I make rounds on our units treating COVID-19 patients, I am continually inspired by the calm commitment of these consummate health care professionals. Along with the Mississippi National Guard, whose members offered a hearty salute to nurses at Wednesday morning shift change, I join countless Americans to offer my heartfelt thanks to our nurses.
Even as we recognize nurses in their singular role, Employee Appreciation Week – which we kicked off this morning with a pep rally and “drive-by recognition” from first responders on North State Street – reminds us that every UMMC employee makes an important contribution to our success. Sharing the front lines of the pandemic with doctors and nurses, for example, are respiratory therapists, occupational and physical therapists, radiology and lab techs, registration specialists, social workers, housekeepers, dialysis techs, ambassadors, chaplains and palliative care. Our medical laboratory professionals have stepped up to the challenge of launching an impressive COVID-19 testing operation in record time. Our human resources and finance professionals are putting in long hours to effectively navigate these uncharted waters. The list goes on and on, and I can only say that I am grateful to each and every one of you for your service, and that won’t stop when Employee Appreciation Week is in our rearview mirror.
We have a long road ahead of us. We have to thread the needle between ramping up our normal operations and continuing to provide care to COVID-19 patients, all while protecting our other patients and staff. We have to gradually bring back our staff who are working from home to fully resume all the things we do that we've had to put on the back burner during this crisis. Like every other business, the pandemic has taken a toll on our finances, and in the next couple of weeks I will announce the full plan for how we will address these financial difficulties, the likes of which this organization has never been faced with before.
With all that said, the experience of the last few months validates my belief that I don't ever have to question your commitment or resolve to do what needs to be done in the service of our fellow Mississippians. Thank you. #UMMCStrong
Compared to what was initially predicted, Mississippi has successfully “flattened the curve” through shelter-in-place measures, the use of masks in public settings and social distancing. That is a 