Hospital Week is coming up May 12-18, 2013. Have you made plans on how your facility will celebrate?
Rural hospitals in particular have much to celebrate when it comes to Hospital Week. It’s a great opportunity to showcase your services to the community while educating your publics on the importance of rural healthcare.
National Hospital Week has become one of the nation’s largest healthcare celebrations. It began in 1921 as the brainchild of a magazine editor who wanted to educate the public about the work of hospitals. Today, thousands of hospitals across the country celebrate healthcare professionals and their services that keep communities healthy.
As the industry continues to evolve amidst legislation, advancement in technology, and in medical breakthroughs, the fact that your facility has managed to keep its doors open is an achievement that some rural and small community hospitals unfortunately cannot tout.
If you think about it, hospitals are one of the essential elements in a thriving community, and National Hospital Week is about recognizing the importance of their services. Whether you live in a large metropolitan area or in a rural region, hospitals exist to save our lives and help create healthier communities.
Educating their community on a constant basis about breadth of services available to them through their local hospital is critical. More often than not, local hospital can treat patients without them having to travel great distances to a larger facility.
If your facility has not yet made plans to celebrate, I challenge you to take some time to have a committee formed and tasked with planning events and activities for internal and external stakeholders. The possibilities on what you can do are virtual endless.
For your medical staff, you might consider a lunch or breakfast. For your community, a health fair or free-screenings, for your employees a banana-split or BBQ lunch on the hospital grounds. There are so many ideas to consider, but the important thing is that whatever you decide, it’s important that you do something to celebrate your hospital and involve your staff and community.
