I recently received a heartwarming letter from a patient of St. Charles’ Bend hospital who had spent time in our Emergency Department, Imaging department, Medical Diagnostic Unit and Progressive Care Unit, encountering dozens of our caregivers along the way. He was grateful for the excellent care he received and highly complimentary of our staff – from the intake team to the doctors and nurses to the folks who cooked the food and cleaned the room.
We always appreciate hearing from patients here at St. Charles, but this letter particularly resonated with me because it came from a former colleague who spent decades working in health care at all levels, from the front line to executive leadership. He knows the industry inside and out, and he knows what it takes to provide high-quality care and a high-quality experience for patients.
This was, in other words, an especially informed patient. And he highlighted one experience at St. Charles that I want to share with you:
The nurse who had been caring for me for 12 hours was going home. She and the new nurse came into the room and the new nurse was introduced to me. Then the nurse who had been caring for me reached out to shake my hand and wish me all the best as I recovered. This small gesture has stuck with me, of all things. That simple gesture of respect during a vulnerable time for me was so kind and greatly needed. Shift change is a confusing time and this introduction helped greatly.
At St. Charles, we have the privilege of changing lives – even saving lives – every day. And when we tell our story, we have a tendency to focus on heroics in health care. But these moments of greatness wouldn’t be possible without all the small moments that make up each day – the warm smiles, the comforting words, the handshakes at shift change. These small acts of kindness create a culture of caring and compassion, and they accumulate to make St. Charles a force for good in Central Oregon.
As Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, wrote in an essay in early 2023, we must, “help ensure the value of health care is not defined by its highest highs or lowest lows, but by the millions of moments between the two in which lives are improved, health is restored and suffering is spared.”
There is extraordinary power in the ordinary, everyday work that often goes unsung. Please know that we value that work highly at St. Charles.
Sincerely,
Steve
