The American Hospital Association designates a theme for Hospital Week every year. This year: We Are Healthcare; caring for patients, strengthening communities. That is certainly true for the community of Big Sandy and its local medical center, but it is not just a one-way street. The community supports this facility as much as we care for the community.
We are pleased to welcome the community back into the facility to celebrate Hospital Week with us, May 8-12. You’ll find spirit week style dress-up days, special meals, and lots of fun around BSMC this week. For the first time in three years, Hospital Week will be celebrated without masks, without visiting restrictions, and WITH an Ice Cream Social. While we certainly appreciated the community for coming together and hosting parades in lieu of the ice cream social and respecting the rules and regulations during the pandemic, we are thrilled to bring this back. You’re welcome to join us this Friday, May 12 at 2 pm for a healthy serving of the frozen favorite with all the toppings. We know the patients would all love to see your smiling faces.
As we bring back the fullness of the Hospital Week celebration, we are also excited to bring back the 5th graders this fall. They will come to visit regularly next school year, joining the residents for activities and celebrations. The connections and bonds they make during this program is certainly something special, we’re looking forward to having them make regular appearances again.
The support of this community goes far beyond joining us for celebrations and sharing memories. We are finally within days of breaking ground on the kitchen remodel project! This project would not have come to fruition without the support of the Medical Guild and the BSMC Foundation. Truly, it is your support of those organizations that has allowed the opportunity for substantial donations to this project. Thank you to those who volunteer and serve in the organizations and those who donate their financial gifts to help make these improvement projects possible.
As you give to the facility through various ways, we in turn give to our patients, but also our staff. We now have four nurses who have completed the Trauma Nursing Core Course. This education helps improve care of trauma patients in the Emergency Room. Our nurses aren’t the only ones growing in their education though. Kodi Boone started at BSMC as a dietary aide last year and is just about complete with her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training now. And Katie Derry has worked with us as a CNA while completing her nursing education and will be joining the team as an RN this spring.
And so, it comes full circle. A hospital that grows, changes, and evolves to keep up with society. Patients and their families that adapt along the way. A community that supports it all. And staff that make every day enjoyable. Happy Hospital Week from BSMC! We Are Healthcare; caring for patients, strengthening communities. We will see you on Friday, May 12 at 2 pm!
