On March 12, Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health recognized the 2,000th COVID-19 patient discharged from Lancaster General Hospital (LGH). The celebration came 361 days after the first COVID-19 patient was admitted to LGH.
The small gathering was held in the Downtown Pavilion, near the pedestrian bridge at LGH, which is lined with paper stars — each representing a COVID-19 patient discharged over the last year.
John Herman, MBA, FACHE, chief executive officer, Larry Strassner, PhD, MSN, RN, FACHE, chief nursing officer and Carolanne Hauck, director, Chaplaincy & Volunteer Services, thanked staff for their continued dedication to their patients and community.
“Fighting this pandemic has taken a village," Strassner said. “Nurses donned PPE to provide direct patient care, physicians prescribed convalescent-plasma and Remdesivir, and chaplains served in the role of family and held the hands of those who did not survive. All of us had a part, and we aren't quite done yet.”
The 2,000th star, hung by Strassner and Aimee Anderson, MSN, RN, CCRN, ICU nurse manager, also honors patients who have passed from complications of COVID-19.
“Your selfless and tireless efforts, and our ability to quickly learn and adapt how we care for COVID patients, saved many lives,” Herman said. “As a tribute to patients who lost their battle to COVID, I encourage all of us to continue our journey of learning so we can save even more patients.”