Interim CEO Dan Wilson, MBA, BSN, RN, FABC
May 11 marked important milestones in Pennsylvania Hospital’s (PAH’s) history, as well as health care as a whole. On a local level, this date marks the founding of PAH – the nation’s first hospital. Celebrating 272 years in 2023, PAH was established on the premise of the “Good Samaritan” – an individual who selflessly devotes their time to care for others – which is reflected on our official hospital seal. It is also reflected among our staff who embody this image in their day-to-day patient interactions and collaboration with their team members.
We see this represented in this month’s What’s New, in which we recap Nurses Week – recognizing our nurses’ commitment to care. We also recognize individuals, such as nurse Mick Masaba and his advocacy for gender-affirming care, clinical information librarian Michelle Bass and her therapy dog Norman for providing comfort amongst our staff, and Hall-Mercer Community Mental Health Center Associate Director of Child Services Lauren Cliggitt, who has been promoting wellness through bi-monthly walks with colleagues.
This type of selflessness and devotion to care was also recognized in another celebration concurrently on May 11. On a national level, this date now signifies the end of the federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration. To commemorate this milestone, Penn Medicine held a series of events, featured in this month’s System News. Although COVID-19 has certainly not ended, this is a significant moment in our fight against the coronavirus, offering itself as a time of reflection of the past three years and also as a step forward in our nation’s history. I’d like to thank our health care professionals, not only at PAH, but across the nation, for their unwavering support through an unprecedented time, and I look forward to moving into this next chapter together.