Since Pennsylvania Hospital was founded in 1751, it has witnessed several public health crises — outbreaks of smallpox, epidemics of yellow fever, the arrival of cholera, and the 1918 influenza pandemic, for example. But while hospital staff over the centuries weathered these events and did their best to support the Philadelphia community however they could, the boundless compassion, extraordinary courage, and unwavering commitment that PAH staff demonstrated in response to COVID-19 is unique.
To recognize the tenacity, adaptability, and professionalism that every clinical and non-clinical employee showed while navigating a year of unprecedented challenges, and to honor those who lost their lives to the coronavirus, PAH leadership erected a memorial on the hospital grounds. The hospital’s Executive Leadership Team formally dedicated the new Healthcare Heroes Garden in March on the one-year anniversary of the pandemic’s declaration.
The memorial garden is located on the east side of the historic Pine Building, and through the tree design cut into the metal, you can see the hospital’s evergreens — a nod to PAH’s, Penn Medicine’s, and the community’s shared ability to withstand even the toughest times. It also features a quote from founder Benjamin Franklin: “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” History has shown that PAH staff will always rise to the occasion and learn from their experiences — at no time has this been clearer than during COVID-19.
“It’s our hope that as staff and visitors visit this tranquil space, they can enjoy a quiet moment of reflection and gratitude,” said Jeffrey T. O’Neill, AIA, ACHA, senior director of Facilities. “We hope that they won’t think of this past year as one lost to COVID, but as one in which everyone at Pennsylvania Hospital went above and beyond for our patients, our colleagues, and our community.”