Page 12 - CANNABIS NEWS FLORIDA MAY 2021

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Salute to Nursing...

Celebrating Our Nurses

Every May, we celebrate The toll taken on every care system as a whole. to do their essential work. When these
Nurses Week (May 6-12) health care professional from For the last decade, hospital leaders programs are threatened, we need an army
and National Hospital COVID-19 was substantial. focused on employee satisfaction in part of advocates to protect them.
Week (May 9-15). Both Those working in our emer- because it is critical for patient satisfac- • How to ensure supply chain stability
occasions are an opportu- gency departments, ICUs and tion and good outcomes. One study of and flexibility. No one was more affected
nity to highlight and honor with patients hospitalized nurses’ job satisfaction, for example, by PPE shortages than our nurses and
the essential role of health with COVID-19 put their found that a 25 percent increase in nurse other frontline health care workers. Their
care systems and profes- lives on the line. Some, tragi- job satisfaction was associated with an experiences deserve to be heard.
sionals in keeping us cally, lost their lives as a overall increase in quality of care • The appropriate role of technology in
healthy as individuals and result. The physical exhaus- between five and 20 percent. health care. From telemedicine to AI,
as communities. Fittingly, tion and emotional repercus- Today, that focus on job satisfaction engaging our workforce in the develop-
National Hospital Week sions, too, were real. The must include soliciting their experiences ment and implementation of health care
always falls on the week of BY MARY MAYHEW impacts on health care work- from the last year in order to make pur- technology will ensure that it is making
Florence Nightingale’s ers who were furloughed or poseful changes that improve patient health care better for our patients.
birthday – May 12 – as laid off because of the sus- care as well as sharing information about • How to overcome vaccine hesitancy.
hospitals are empty vessels without the pension of elective procedures and the the financial and operational challenges Year over year, nurses rank as the most
nurses who serve in them. closure of office-based practices were facing hospitals. trusted profession in America. We must
Approximately 250,000 active regis- also serious. Nurses’ work at the bedside is shaped leverage their voices to make sure that
tered nurses live and work in Florida. This year is different. The coronavirus by policy, operational and financial forces questions about COVID-19 vaccine safe-
Their work is diverse – from hospitals is still with us, but with more advanced that may be outside the scope of their ty and effectiveness are answered clearly,
and nursing homes to primary care prac- treatments and vaccines, more hopeful clinical practice but are very much rele- logically, and with compassion and
tices and mobile clinics. Their mission, times are ahead. This does not mean that vant. We can help our nurses by engag- respect.
however, is singular: to care for the hurt, our frontline workers no longer need our ing them and empowering them to take The post-COVID challenges for health
the sick, and the vulnerable and to pro- support. The opposite, in fact, is true. As part in these important topics including: care institutions are significant. Engaging
mote health. we emerge from the worst of the pan- • How hospital financing and reim- nurses is how we meet these challenges
Last year, both National Hospital Week demic, now is the time not only to thank bursement works. From private insur- head on, ensure meaningful job satisfac-
and Nurses Week took on a new level of our nurses for their sacrifices but also to ance to supplemental payment programs, tion, and position Florida as the nation’s
significance. The COVID-19 crisis chal- double down on our investment in them. health care financing is complex. But that health care leader.
lenged hospitals and their workforce as One of the ways we do this is by mean- complexity cannot be an excuse for not
never before, and no institution was ingfully engaging them in shaping the sharing information on how these financ- Mary Mayhew is President and CEO of the
spared. future of our institutions and the health ing forces directly impact clinicians’ ability Florida Hospital Association.

Cover Story: Shane Strum Joins Broward Health Names as President and CEO

Continued from page 1
health functions. Before he joined strong, large network throughout the leadership team and I intend to capitalize spirit of collaboration.”
Memorial’s executive team, Strum served County.” on this momentum to successfully exe- Strum hopes the community views
on the South Broward Hospital District Strum says that there have been cute our short- and long-term strate- Broward Health as a hometown hero—
Board for several years, including two tremendous efforts made to bring tech- gies.” one which has been on the front lines
terms as chairman. nology and advanced treatment to all Whether he was working in health- long before the pandemic.
In his first week on the job at Broward Broward Health locations, which helps care, higher education or government, “You've seen Broward Health rise
Health, Strum says he hit the ground distinguish the system from other Strum has always enjoyed serving the through the tragedy in Parkland, the
running. providers. community. pandemic and so many other instances,”
"I've taken time to meet with internal “I think as we build upon existing “It's an amazing feeling giving back he says. “Throughout those events,
and external teams, including senior assets and find new ways to differentiate and helping people,” explains Strum. Broward Health was there for our
staff, executives, and especially our care- ourselves from many of the competitors “Large healthcare systems, in particular, patients and their loved ones. The com-
givers on the frontline,” he says. “I feel in the South Florida marketplace, we'll always do a tremendous job with com- munity should be extremely proud that
very honored to be working alongside continue to move the needle,” says munity engagement. Not only are they they can call Broward Health their
our caregivers, who have inspired me Strum. helping on the frontline, but they're provider of choice. They've got exempla-
with their passion to enhance the quality Making organizational contributions is active in their local communities. When ry care, and it's available in their own
of healthcare we provide.” a trend for Strum, who says he chose to I was in the governor's office, the team backyard. I would encourage community
Strum plans on ramping up his short- join previous employers because there and I were hands-on during the COVID- members to become engaged with
and long-term strategies over the next 60 was something that needed to be accom- 19 pandemic. It was inspiring how Broward Health and learn more. As the
to 90 days. plished – and he felt he could attain – to health systems effectively worked new CEO, that's something that I want to
“A primary goal is ensuring that our help make those businesses stronger. together. It was probably one of the few do as well. I want to be much more
community has access to extremely high- “I feel I was able to identify and times we had an opportunity to collec- active, not only with the healthcare sys-
quality care,” he says. “We want people achieve specific goals for each of my for- tively talk to all the hospital CEOs across tem and the employees, but also our
to know that our hospitals are close to mer employers,” he says. “I look forward the state of Florida, especially in South community.”
their home. I think one thing people to doing the same thing at Broward Florida, where we have a large popula-
don't realize is that we have a lot of com- Health. This system has significant tion and a lot of hospitals. Everybody For more information, visit
petition in our backyard from other opportunities, and I enter at a time when worked extremely well together. While www.BrowardHealth.org.
healthcare providers, but we do have a excitement and energy are high. The they are competitors, there was a real

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