Over the past several months, I have been in awe of the extraordinary efforts of every Pennsylvania Hospital staff member as we’ve faced the coronavirus crisis. Employees working on the front lines have balanced excellent patient care with vital precautions to keep themselves and their colleagues safe. Others have juggled working at home with caring for their children. Still others have wrangled family members losing their jobs or loved ones getting sick. But despite the innumerable obstacles, PAH’s staff have never lost sight of our shared mission.
Now, we are entering the next phase that Penn Medicine leaders have named “Project Resurgence.” This is our health system’s comeback strategy, and it involves carefully reopening services and gradually helping staff return to work on campus. These steps are critical for both our economic stability and our patients, many of whom deferred non-urgent care in an effort to flatten the curve.
The resilience and compassion that guided us through our peak will remain necessary as both COVID and non-COVID patients come to us for routine care, procedures, and surgeries. Resurgence also calls for the same ingenuity and determination that inspired teams to develop creative solutions for our “new normal.” After all, at Pennsy, we don’t let the grass grow under our feet. As we look ahead, we’re not only looking at how our response to COVID-19 will evolve, but we are also balancing the other important work that staff throughout the hospital are leading every day, such as our Nursing team’s journey towards Magnet Recognition Program® re-designation.
I believe we’ve reached an inflection point. Resurgence is not about reopening our doors and recovering our old practices — instead we have the opportunity to develop systems that will serve the needs of our patients and our staff more effectively than ever before. No matter what challenges lie ahead, I am proud and deeply grateful to be able to work towards that future with such an exceptional team.