Rising to the challenge (with a sleeping bag)

Good Morning!

Well, just when things were looking a bit brighter from the standpoint of the pandemic – BOOM! – Mother Nature strikes with a vengeance. 

From the pandemic perspective – the vaccine rollout is going very well (MANY compliments on the ease of the process), the daily MSDH update of the number of new cases in Mississippi is going in the right direction and our own in-house COVID-19 and PUI patient numbers are also going in the right direction. And then – BOOM!

While we were warned of severe weather, I have to say, it has been worse than I anticipated. It has felt like whiplash and we are back into the throes of the worst of the pandemic response – supply uncertainty; clinic and elective procedure cancelations; quick conversion to telemedicine; advising students to stay home; converting in-person education activities to virtual; converting non-clinical work to remote working conditions; and STAFF SHORTAGES. 

A number of our leaders – including Dr. Jonathan Wilson, Jason Smith, Dr. Guy Giesecke, Dodie McElmurray, Britt Crewse, Jason Zimmerman, Ryan McMillan, Ellen Hansen, Rick McFee and an army of directors, managers and supervisors – came to work Sunday prepared to stay in house as needed. And they did.

Hundreds of nurses and other clinical staff spent the night on campus or in nearby hotels. Dozens of physicians and residents stayed in call rooms, offices and other places that could be converted into temporary sleeping spaces. Mississippi Center for Emergency Services staff went wherever necessary to meet food suppliers and others who could not make usual deliveries to pick up essential items for patients. Nurse managers, educators and leaders pulled long staffing shifts to care for patients. Clinic personnel worked hospital shifts to help out. Jackson water problems affecting ambulatory clinics were mitigated as well as possible. Patients being discharged were unable to obtain transportation home – leading to a decrease in the outflow of patients, which markedly impacted the precarious and delicate patient influx and outflux balance. UMMC Police Department officers and safety personnel were present in full force to keep us safe and Facilities Services employees were constantly and consistently available to address any issues that came up.

At our peak, we had 173 staff call-ins. I’m not positive, but that certainly could be a record for us. I hope we never get close to that number again and certainly never eclipse it. How do you keep a hospital open with so many call-ins? It’s not easy. For all who stayed and worked overtime and extra shifts – THANK YOU! 

Because of all who went above and beyond, UMMC, yet again, found a way to continue critical operations and to provide excellent care for patients, even when disaster struck. 

You not only provided excellent care for our patients – you provided excellent care for each other. Early Wednesday morning I was made aware of one of our current ICU nurses, Matt Harris, and a former ICU nurse, Tony Sistrunk, who went way above and beyond to help their co-workers and other motorists stranded at the Lakeland Drive exit off I-55 South. They assisted about 100 vehicles get up the exit that had been completely iced over. These two (along with a big truck and a new tow strap) pulled cars to the top of the hill so they could continue their drive to work. ICU nurse John Jones stayed after his night shift was supposed to end to cover patients for Harris while he rescued drivers in distress. Talk about a team effort! They demonstrated the kind of character and generosity of spirit that can’t be taught in any class. (The full story was posted to Facebook and Harris was interviewed by WLBT and WAPT.)

What’s next? Water turning to blood, a swarm of locusts, frogs falling from the sky????

I don’t know. We keep talking about when things will get back to normal. Maybe “normal” as we knew it in 2019 has changed forever. Maybe wearing masks will continue to have a much more prominent role in health care settings. Maybe wearing a mask will continue to be normal in other non-clinical instances. I personally feel it will be a long time before I travel by plane maskless. Maybe components of our educational programs will continue to be delivered virtually. Maybe travel for meetings will never get back to pre-pandemic norms. We have all learned a lot about what can be accomplished more efficiently (from a time and cost standpoint) and perhaps just as effectively in a virtual setting. 

I am eager for children and young people to get back to school – for so many reasons. I am eager for us to be able to celebrate achievements in the more traditional fashion (such as commencements). I am eager for us to be able to have gatherings with our friends and families. I am eager for weddings and funerals to feel more ordinary – and therefore more special. 

Whatever the next BOOM! may be – tornado, hurricane, pandemic, local catastrophe – I will be honored to face it with you – the People of the U. You have demonstrated over and over and over again a resilience and a “get-it-done” attitude second to none. I believe it is a mixture of passion for your calling, compassion for your fellow man, a bit of Mississippi underdog toughness and a whole lot of grace.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! – Let’s keep doing what we do. (Mother Nature – that’s not a challenge.) I couldn’t be prouder. #UMMCStrong!