Tag Archives: public health

Year of the Nurse: We must support our nurses

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The first time I cried during this pandemic was March 17 when I read that in Italy people over 60 years old were being left on gurneys in the hallway to choke on their own sputum. Patients with coronavirus had

Message from Brigham and Women’s Hospital OR nurses: #StayHome

exceeded the hospitals’ capacity. I had been watching the news and stories from Italy closely in anticipation of what was going to happen in our country assuming we were just a few weeks behind them in this crisis. I cried then not only for Italy but for myself. I wondered if I was going to be one of those over 60 left to die if our hospitals were also unable to handle the potential number of very sick COVID-19 patients.

The second time I really teared up was when I thought about my daughter who is the Chief Nurse Practitioner (NP) on the inpatient orthopedic/spine service at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in the Boston area and reassigned to work shifts in the ICU with COVID-19 patients. I feared the worst for my family. That she would get exposed and transmit it to her husband and five-year-old daughter who both have very bad asthma and are allergic to almost everything. We knew this virus was not just killing elders. People of all ages and especially those with underlying conditions were and are still at high risk.

Most of the times I have had tears since then has been watching a nurse or physician tell their story on the news. Describing what it is like to care for intubated COVID-19 patients, helping their patients’ families understand there is nothing more they can do, and sharing the fears they have for their own families when they go home from their shift. I have also cried when I see the stories of family members dying within days of each other from this virus, many of them people of color who are essential workers who can’t stay home.

I have listened to my own daughter describe the days she was assigned to work an ICU shift with COVID-19 patients. While it was not the overall intensity of what we have seen on the news in New York City hospitals, every individual case she described was just as sad and heartbreaking. And the emotional and physical toll on the nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists was obvious.

On the brighter side of this crisis, I have smiled with joy as healthcare workers in NYC celebrate the 500th or 1000th COVID-19 patient discharged from their hospital. Continue reading →

Leading through a crisis

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As a leader, you are called upon to lead in good times and bad. At normal times and when there is a crisis. It may be an incident in the community with mass casualties, a natural disaster, or a widespread pandemic as we are living through. Barring any of these truly awful crisis, it might be a system failure and as an IT leader you are front and center. Whatever crisis you may face, it requires the best of your leadership skills.

Here is my list of the needed skills from my own experience and watching the best leaders in our current global crisis.

  • Communicate often to everyone involved and impacted. Be open and transparent.
  • Focus on the facts. Be explicit when you are stating opinion instead of fact.
  • Own the situation. Don’t make excuses. Take responsibility.
  • Be genuine and empathetic. Stay connected.
  • Stay calm and project calmness.
  • Be available and present. Stay close to your team. Provide the encouragement they need.
  • Listen to the input of others, especially the experts.
  • Be adaptable and ready to make quick decisions.
  • Lead by example in all you do.
  • Let your organization’s core principles guide you.
  • When you can, look ahead and past the crisis. Develop a return to normal plan
  • Capture lessons learned.
  • Express gratitude often. There are many heroes in a crisis. Find them and thank them.
  • And don’t forget to take care of yourself.

I have heard many health IT leaders describe the work they are doing in support of their hospitals during this pandemic – some common themes are being nimble, partnering closely with clinicians, staying focused, ensuring the safety of their onsite staff, being responsive with a can do attitude and providing rapid, innovative solutions. I have great respect for all of them as they navigate and lead during this unprecedented time.

Becker’s Hospital Review published a summary of advice from healthcare leaders last week titled “73 hospital leaders in 10 states hit hardest by COVID-19 offer advice to colleagues: If you do nothing else, at least do this”. Respondents are from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida and Texas. The responses are organized by theme – I focused first on the leadership, communication and strategy theme. Continue reading →

Another opportunity to be generous

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Hurricane Dorian has dominated the news cycle for the past week. As this powerful storm moves up the east coast, we are learning the scale of devastation and human suffering in the Bahamas. The pictures canstockphoto18234898and stories of survivors are heartbreaking.

It is a humanitarian crisis that requires an international response. With airports under water, their lifeline for the basics of safe drinking water, food and supplies is extremely limited. Health workers are on the ground doing what they can.

There are many ways to give. I encourage you to find a relief organization that you can support and give generously.

As you think about those affected by this devastation, be thankful for the everyday heroes who are helping with the rescue and recovery operation as they so often do.

Related Posts:

Everyday heroes among us

Humanitarian crisis, American crisis

HIEs matter

Hate has no place

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The most recent horrific mass shootings are not due to video games, the Internet, nor mental illness. There are more guns in the United States than people. Let that sink in.canstockphoto45815739 (1) no hate

Hate speech, racism, and white supremacy exist and are tolerated by some of our elected leaders who are supposed to keep us all safe. Let that sink in.

This is not who we want to be as a country. It is time for responsible, moral leaders to act.

I am saddened and outraged yet again by the mass shootings in El Paso, Dayton and Gilroy. We have seen hate target Jewish people at worship in Pittsburgh. We have now seen hate target Hispanic people shopping on a Saturday. These are people like you and me who go to stores, festivals, and churches like you and me.

I have no new messages. I have said it all before in one way or the other.

I wrote about every day racism last year after stories surfaced about incidents at a Starbucks, an Airbnb, a common dormitory room, and a college tour: Teaching moments – every day, everywhere

I wrote about the inhumane treatment of immigrants at the border: Heroes among us: pediatricians

I wrote about the strength and leadership of the Parkland students who started a national movement for gun reform after a mass shooting at their high school: What will you speak up for? and This can’t be the new normal

I wrote about gun control after the largest mass shooting in this country at a music concert in Las Vegas: When can we talk about it?

I wrote about the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub which targeted gay people: Who do we want to be?

I wrote about what I want for my grandchildren as I watched a gun control debate back in 2016: On being a grandparent

And I wrote about the need to build bridges as I listened with both sadness and fear to the divisive rhetoric during the 2016 presidential election: Build bridges, not walls

We must speak up for love and justice every chance we can. We must challenge those who hate and divide us as a people. And we must vote for the kind of leaders that we are willing to trust the future of our children and grandchildren to. Please join me.

IT matters – why I work in healthcare

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42,000 steps later and HIMSS19 is behind me. Heard insightful and moving speakers at the CHIME CIO Forum. Co-presented with Pam Arora on the relationship between IT and HTM. Sponsored the networking breakfast at the career fair. Facilitated a roundtable at the mentor meetup. Interviewed by Bill Russell for his This Week in Health IT podcast HIMSS series. Walked the exhibit hall. Had many great conversations with new and old colleagues. And promoted our new StarBridge Advisors service, C-change, receiving lot of positive feedback and enthusiasm.

Did I meet my HIMSS19 goals? Yes. Now it’s time for all the follow-up.

In the first two days I was reminded numerous times why I work in healthcare. The CIO Forum planning committee made some bold speaker decisions this year and I applaud them for it. The day included some very personal and touching stories. Continue reading →

Everyday heroes among us

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In a week where we remember 9/11 and brace for a major hurricane expected to hit three east coast states, we are reminded of the many everyday heroes – emergency responders and healthcare workers.canstockphoto4424174 (1) families belong together

I’ve highlighted these heroes often over the years. I am grateful for all they do every day to keep us healthy and safe.

A year ago, I commented on the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. We now understand a year later that nearly 2,975 people lost their lives due to Hurricane Maria. 2,977 people died in the terror attacks on 9/11 seventeen years ago.

Pediatricians were the first to call attention to immigrant families being separated at the border earlier this summer. Over 2,600 children were separated from their families. As of August 30th, nearly 500 children were still separated from their families.

We’ve all seen stories of firefighters and healthcare workers who lost their homes to forest fires out west this summer yet showed up to do their jobs and help others. Dignity Health has 48 hospitals and numerous ambulatory facilities throughout California, Nevada and Arizona.  Lloyd Dean, president and CEO at Dignity Health, shared an important piece this week – “Coping with the Health Consequences of Wildfires”.

On a bright note, a team of creative and committed technologists using medical drone technology are delivering blood supplies and vaccines where roads are inaccessible in two African countries.

And we all probably know a nurse we’d consider a personal hero. Continue reading →

Heroes among us: pediatricians

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Pediatricians are one of the first and most trusted people you turn to when you have a new baby. They are a phone call away when your child is sick, and you don’t know what to do.  They give you advice on canstockphoto4424174 (1) families belong togetherhow to raise a healthy, well-balanced child.

Pediatricians and all healthcare professionals play an important role in our individual lives. They also play a critical role on a larger scale in our communities as they are some of the first to raise their voices and expose a public health issue.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is the Flint, Michigan pediatrician and public health advocate who first reported there was lead in the drinking water. She went public with her research and faced backlash. She persisted. But despite the tireless efforts by her and many others, the Flint water crisis is a public health crisis that is still not resolved. She has just published a book called “What the Eyes Don’t See – A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in an American City”.  A portion of the proceeds from book sales will be donated to Flint Kids.

Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), was one of the first to visit the facilities where thousands of children are being held after being separated from their parents as they cross our southern border seeking asylum. 70 children a day are being separated from their parents.

In a May 8th statement opposing the policy of separating families, the AAP stated: “Separating children from their parents contradicts everything we stand for as pediatricians – protecting and promoting children’s health. In fact, highly stressful experiences, like family separation, can cause irreparable harm, disrupting a child’s brain architecture and affecting his or her short- and long-term health. This type of prolonged exposure to serious stress – known as toxic stress – can carry lifelong consequences for children.”

Clinical psychologists describe the human toll this crisis is taking on children. The trauma and long term psychological and physical effects. In a recent interview, Dr. Kraft said the “zero tolerance” policy separating families at the border “amounts to child abuse.”

Nearly 4600 mental health professionals and 90 organizations have signed a petition urging the president and the attorney general to stop separating families at the border.

The media are shining a spotlight on the crisis at the border day after day. Continue reading →

What will you speak up for?

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When I started blogging, I grouped my posts in several categories. One category is called “On Speaking Up”. I guess it’s just my nature to be an outspoken advocate for what I believe is right. Some might frown canstockphoto17019906 protest (002)on that, but I am proud of it.

Like many in my generation, we protested the Vietnam War, we marched for women’s rights and gay rights, and yes even worked to impeach a president. But we didn’t worry about mass shooters in our schools.

In 1988, when my own children were in grade school, there was a school shooting in a Chicago suburb several miles away. One child was killed, and 5 children were wounded. It shook the larger community.

Fast forward 30 years. Mass shootings in schools, churches, theaters and other public spaces have become so common we don’t hear about them all. But we can’t let this become the new normal.

We are witnessing an accelerating movement of students telling our government at all levels that something must be done to protect them from gun violence in their schools.  Fueled by their anger and social media savvy, they are taking a very personal fight for their own lives to the streets, to the White House, to the Capitol, and to the media.

You can’t escape their presence. Nor should you want to. Yes, it’s hard to watch the raw stories being shared by parents, siblings, and friends of those who have been killed. But it is nothing compared to the anguish those families feel every single day. So, we must watch. We must pay attention. And we must support them.

Parents everywhere are faced with difficult conversations as their own kids watch what is happening nationally, process their own fears, and decide to participate in walkouts. To those parents, I say support your children if they choose to be active and be by their side. Continue reading →

This can’t be the new normal

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I am sickened, saddened, and angry all over again.

Yesterday as I did my early morning check of Facebook, I smiled at a memory that popped up from 3 years ago. It was a picture of my then 3-month-old granddaughter dressed in a little Valentine’s outfit withcanstockphoto50204846 school icon a little red and white stuffed bear next to her. She was propped up in a chair and holding a sign that said, “I love Nana Sue and Papa Tom”. It made my day.

Early afternoon, I talked to my daughter who is the mom to the oldest of our 4 grandchildren. She had just finished registering her 5-year-old for kindergarten next September. She learned that she’d be taking a bus to school and not going to the school within walking distance. The 5-year-old was excited at the thought of a school bus with her friends.

I learned about the latest school shooting in Parkland, Florida just before my husband and I headed to that daughter’s house to babysit the 5-year-old and her 3-year-old sister, so the parents could have a Valentine’s Dinner date night. The story was still unfolding, and the number of injuries and fatalities were still unknown as we drove to her house.

But watching just a short news piece I saw the anguish of parents anxiously awaiting news of their children. And I saw the fear and pain of the students who survived as they were being escorted out of the school by armed police officers.

Parents send their children to what should be a safe and nurturing learning environment every day. Yet, parents now with increased frequency wonder if their children will return home. Continue reading →

When can we talk about it?

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Like you, I woke up Monday morning to the horrific news that at least 50 people were dead and over 400 people injured at the kind of venue we have been to before: an open-air music event with thousands of people.

But this was not a terrorist attack in some foreign country. This was our country. The United States of America. The land of the free. But sadly, it is also the land of guns. Americans own an estimated 265 million guns, more than one gun for every adult.

This time it was a 64-year-old white man who had amassed over 40 weapons and had carried over 20 of them into his hotel suite a few days earlier. These were semi-automatic weapons modified to shoot rounds so fast that in just 10 minutes he ended or injured over 500 lives. Not to mention the psychological damage for the thousands who escaped, survived, tended to others on the scene, transported them to hospitals or cared for them at the hospital. 

I was in Chicago attending a healthcare forum on Monday. But no one was talking about what had happened. Are we so numb to gun violence in this country that we watch that initial news story in horror but then move on? Were the few hundred people in that meeting room with me distracted during the day and wanting to know more about what had happened? Were they quietly looking for answers? Instead of just looking at email on their phones were they looking for news updates and trying to comprehend this awfulness yet again? 

I saw an alarming image and statistic today. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1.5 million Americans have been killed in the U.S. in gun related incidents since 1968. That is more than the 1.2 million service members killed in all the U.S. wars combined. The caption said, “We are at war with ourselves”.   Continue reading →