One Step Closer

By Roberto Colón, MD, chief medical officer and vice president of operations, Miami Valley Hospital

Well, 2020 has finally come to an end! But what is different as the year turned? COVID is still here, social challenges remain in our country, and our health care systems remain stressed. Yet we all feel change coming. While the disease is still here, the trends are finally heading in the right way; a vaccine, not even discussed one year ago, threatens to extinguish the burden of this pandemic. While social challenges remain, discussions and plans for changes are out in the open; in Premier Health, changes are already evident. While our nation’s health systems remain busy, we are seeing the first signs of some easing of the strains. None of these developments are complete; none were the direct effect of one change or one person.

And we are not done! This year will continue to challenge us as we, hopefully, see our daily lives return to normalcy. But drawing from the challenges we have faced, we will continue using the energy and passion that arose from the fight on COVID to remain the leaders in health care in our region. We will continue to strive to take the quality of our care to ever higher levels through innovation. You will be seeing new initiatives, new programs – and also new opportunities to get involved. And this is one of my requests as we begin this new year: GET INVOLVED! Whether you are an appointed leader or not, please be a part of continuous improvement. Great ideas and innovation are generated by everyone in our organization, and we want everyone to have a voice. If you are not sure how to get involved, please reach out your chief medical officers or department chairs to learn about the many opportunities available. 

It is too early to call a victory on this pandemic, as thousands continue to die each day. But every day, we are a step closer. It is very likely that all of us have been touched by this disease in some way, and I know that its impact on our lives will likely remain with us for a very long time. While many of these memories are tragic, it is also important to recall just how much was accomplished which once seemed impossible. It took all of us to do that. It will take all of us to continue moving forward … in health care, in extinguishing racism, in being better.

Back to the January 2021 issue of Premier Pulse