Message from the CEO
Chuck Gijanto
Interim President and CEO
May 10, 2022
National Nurses Week, National Nursing Home Week, and National Hospital Week
It’s going to be a busy week at Oneida Health as we celebrate these recognition weeks. I have never been fully sure why three of the biggest annual celebration weeks coincide, but we will do our best to recognize everyone. There are events happening all week in recognition of these milestones. Please check emails and schedules posted for the events and join in the fun. After two-plus years of Covid restrictions, it is time to celebrate a little!
********************************************************************
National Nurses Week: This week is always celebrated to coincide with Florence Nightingale’s birthday, May 12th. Florence really set the stage for modern nursing and for the modern hospital as well. She in essence created today’s hospital during the Crimean War (1853-1856), where she inherited abysmal conditions that the wounded and dying soldiers were housed in and made incredible strides in the care, housing, and management of patients. Many of these advances are still being followed today. In fact, my favorite healthcare book is called “The Florence Prescription” by Joe Tye. It is an amazing read and talks about today’s hospitals and how Florence’s influence helped create our wonderful institutions. The book describes a broken hospital that is fixed, using many of Florence’s ideas and concepts, but in particular doing so with empathy, professionalism, and compassion. It is a great read.
So to all of you nurses out there, congratulation on your national week, and thank you for carrying on your nursing duties in the spirit of Florence. I have felt those attributes as I round here at Oneida Health; empathy, professionalism, and compassion. You folks do an amazing job of providing that whether it is in the hospital, ECF or practices. Your commitment to our patients, residents, and each other is commendable and we are a much better organization because of it. So on this National Nurses Week, thank you for all that you do for us, our patients, and for making Oneida Health such a great place to be. You folks are awesome!
**********************************************************************
As mentioned above, it is also National Hospital Week and National Nursing Home Week, so congratulations and thank you to everyone that makes these places tick. Both are fascinating places if you think about it. Find another organization that has so many varied and divergent departments working in them, and every single one of them is critical to the success of the organization. Above I talk about how great our nurses are, but without everyone else here they couldn’t begin to do what they do. From Environmental Services, Materials, Lab and Rad, Maintenance, and on and on. The phrase, it takes a village, is sometimes overused, but when it comes to a hospital and nursing home, it does take all of us. Every single role here is integral to what we do, how we interact, and ultimately the patient outcomes we have.
We are blessed to have such a wonderful organization, and you are the reason it is such a great place. You are Oneida Health and we are so fortunate to have you all doing what you do and making this such a positive environment. Before I even started here the members of the Board of Trustees talked about the culture here and how good it is, I can honestly say it’s among the best I have ever seen. That is due to you folks, what you do and how you go about it. So on this National Hospital Week, National Nursing Week, and National Nursing Home Week, thank you so much for your commitment and dedication to the organization, our patients, our residents, and your coworkers. You are the best!
Sincerely,
Chuck Gijanto
Interim President and CEO
Return To Main Page