Celebrating Black History Month

On Tuesday, we hosted our annual Black History Month celebration titled “Black Excellence: The Past, The Present and The Future.” We hold this event to recognize the immeasurable contributions that Black people have made across our society. 

Since we are still battling COVID, the event was a hybrid (in-person and virtual) and included a keynote presentation by WBAL-TV News anchor Stan Stovall. Mr. Stovall talked about his life, and the obstacles and bigotry he and his family faced growing up during his formative years in Arizona, where, at the time, only 2 percent of the state’s population was Black. He reflected on the progress that has been made since then and the racism that still exists in our country. 

I am grateful to Lisa Walker, Chief Diversity & Learning Officer at GBMC and all my colleagues on the Diversity and Inclusion Council for hosting this event and helping to bring us closer together. I also want to thank our Black History Month committee that put together the outstanding program. If you would like to watch the event, please click here. 

To commemorate Black History Month, I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions of a few members of our staff whose dedicated leadership and talents have greatly enriched GBMC’s place in the community. 

Ericka V. Easley, MHA, Primary Care Service Line Administrator

Ericka has been leading many efforts in the community bringing awareness about primary care resources and access to care. She has led several innovative collaborations with groups such as Live Chair. Many of these events are outside of regular work hours and on weekends.

Diane Wilkins, GNA Aide, GilchristDiane is a Certified Life Coach and a certified palliative care nursing assistant who serves as a hospice aide and scheduler for Gilchrist. She founded the non-profit, Emerge Like an Eagle, where she currently serves as CEO. Emerge Like an Eagle has a mission to educate, empower and motivate the next generation through mentoring and leadership development. The organization teaches youth to give back to the community through volunteer opportunities and leadership training. This important group provides service opportunities for youth to volunteer in nursing homes and residential care communities. 

Diane’s non-profit teaches sensitivity and caring to both boys and girls and supports education by organizing school supply drives through the mayor’s office. Diane started Emerge to give back to the youth and the community.

Rev. Dr. Earl Woodard, Social Worker at Gilchrist
Rev. Dr. Earl Woodard serves as a social worker on the Gilchrist Howard County team in Maple Lawn. Earl is pastor of New David Baptist Church of Christ, where he has served for 40 years. He began his ministry there at a young age and has served as a chaplain at Providence Hospital, an African American-owned medical center, for four years. After seeing the mental health needs in the community, Earl became a social worker to expand his focus to the psychosocial field. He has been member of the Minister Conference of Baltimore and Vicinity for 14 years and he has been a member of the Baptist convention of Maryland and Delaware for 30 years.

As a pastor for the last 12 years, he has served in Angels Helping Angels, which provides food and job support along with substance use treatment referrals for members of the community. In December, Earl presented at a hospice learning forum for the African American community which was sponsored by both the Hospice Palliative Care Network of Maryland and the Horizon Foundation. 

Thank you!!

Today has been designated as “Thank A Resident Day,” so please take the time to thank our resident physicians for their hard work and dedication in helping us move toward our vision. 

In 2018, the Gold Humanism Honor Society decided to bring to light the importance of the resident staff and encouraged medical students at chapters throughout the nation to show their gratitude and appreciation. 

Post-graduate training can be grueling. I remember the long hours, increased responsibilities, and stress. And residency training has been particularly stressful during the pandemic. 

I would like to thank all our residents, and their faculty, who work hard every day to provide every patient, every time the care that we would want for our own loved ones. 

They Do More Than Draw Blood
I neglected to highlight the recent Phlebotomists Recognition Week. Phlebotomists have a crucial role in maintaining patient health and promoting lab efficiency and effectiveness. Their job entails more than just drawing blood. They help to keep patients calm and make sure that specimens are of the best quality to help our physicians make accurate diagnoses. 

Please join me in thanking our phlebotomists for their perseverance and hard work.

Two Incidents on our campus
Earlier this week, tires on multiple vehicles were damaged in one of our parking garages on two consecutive nights. These incidents were tied to a domestic dispute between an individual and a former employee and not a direct attack against GBMC. As a result of these events and out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of staff, volunteers, patients and visitors, we have taken the following actions: 

• GBMC Security surveillance has been increased on campus. 

• Masada Tactical guards have been stationed at each entrance of Lily Park and Tulip Park overnight, beginning at 6:30 p.m. each evening, until further notice. 

• GBMC Security is available to escort anyone who feels uncomfortable walking to and from their vehicle at any time. Please contact Security at ext. 2222 to request assistance.

• Until further notice, gates on all garages will be down except during the morning rush.

If you’re an employee and were a victim of this incident, GBMC will reimburse you for your tire damage. Please email bcollera@gbmc.org or call 443-849-2166 to initiate reimbursement. These costs are being covered by the Employee Hardship Fund, which is money donated from community members. 

GBMC is continuing to work with the Baltimore County Police Department to bring those involved to justice. Please remember that if you see something suspicious on campus, say something by contacting our Security department at ext. 2222.

The War in Ukraine 

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine as they have been attacked by Russia.

Nursing is a Great Career

Nurses are the backbone of any hospital. Through their expertise, dedication and hard work, they make the system work. They are patient advocates, and along with physicians, other clinicians, and support staff, they get the healing job done.

The importance of the bedside nurse has never been so obvious as during the pandemic. Our nurses have come to work every day, putting their own health on the line to serve others in great need. It is also true that some have left the bedside during the pandemic out of sheer exhaustion or due to the tension between work and family needs.

With the aging of the population, the demand for nurses will continue to grow. Applications to schools of nursing are increasing, which is a great sign. I have been reflecting on the reasons why a young person starting their career would pick nursing and I learned that one of our staff members, Lauren Kelly, was advancing professionally as an RN and was moving to work in our Emergency Department. 

So, this week I sat down and spoke with Lauren who has been part of the GBMC family since 2018. Lauren started her GBMC career in Employee Health (EH), as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). She used our tuition assistance program to further her career from LPN to RN, during a time of incredible employee turnover and work in EH, and while carrying and giving birth to her first child! Lauren did this to achieve her dream of becoming an RN and helping others in the Emergency Department.

To find out more about Lauren, her journey and the next step in her career at GBMC, click on the player below.  Please join me in congratulating Lauren and wishing her well as she furthers her career and also please join me in thanking everyone who works as a nurse!

Thank you to our HealthCare Heroes!

Governor Larry Hogan kicked off Healthcare Heroes Appreciation Week this past Monday and we are very thankful for his recognition of how hard the members of the healthcare team have worked during the pandemic.  

Over the last couple of months during the Omicron surge, all Maryland hospitals faced staffing challenges (and still are) amidst rising patient volumes — many of our staff were also quarantined from COVID-19 exposure, and just about every staff member worked hours beyond their regular hours.   

GBMC HealthCare is blessed with the most dedicated and highly compassionate professionals. Our family of heroes includes everyone, in every position, because we need the whole team to get the job done. Working together across all three of our work-systems to fight COVID has brought out the best in our staff…and our patients, their families, and the entire community has benefited from this.  

The unwavering commitment of our people is a continuing source of inspiration. So, it is right for the Governor to declare a week of celebration of their efforts. 

Also, throughout the pandemic and especially during this last surge, we have had extraordinary support from our community. Individuals and businesses continue to reach out to us to ask how they can help. A way that organizations, individuals, community groups, and local businesses can continue to help support our staff is by contributing to the GBMC HealthCare Workers Fund. This fund was created to provide resources to staff in need during this time of crisis. It has been used to pay for childcare, rent, meals and for celebrations at work, among other things. I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those who have contributed to the fund.  

Also, if you would like to express your appreciation for our heroes please click here, where you can submit messages of gratitude.

Thank you, to our Healthcare Heroes, for your bravery, hard work, and compassion. 

Making the Ultimate Sacrifice

On Wednesday, a memorial service was held honoring the three Baltimore firefighters who died in the line of duty last week. Thousands of first responders from across the country gathered to pay tribute and say goodbye to their three fallen comrades.   

Baltimore fire Lt. Paul Butrim, Lt. Kelsey Sadler and Firefighter/Paramedic Kenny Lacayo were battling a fire at a vacant rowhome in southwest Baltimore when they became trapped as part of the building collapsed.   

Putting your life on the line for others is an incredible act of courage. We are in debt to those who risk their safety for us. This is a moment of sadness for the entire community. It is heartening to see the outpouring of support for the families of the fallen firefighters. The GBMC family stands united with them.  

Healthcare workers have put their safety on the line as well during the pandemic, especially before we had vaccines. We must all be thankful for the courage of first responders and all who risk their safety to serve and protect others.   

We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, friends, and colleagues of the firefighters who died in this tragic event. 

The surge is abating
The number of new cases of COVID-19 caused by the omicron variant has dropped precipitously. Let me thank all my GBMC colleagues for your fabulous work during this most recent surge. Let me also thank our Incident Command Team (ICT), led by our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jack Flowers and Cate O’Connor-Devlin RN, BSN, Director of Emergency Preparedness, Safety, and Security. The ICT did a marvelous job of overseeing our response and in using our core competency of redesigning care to adjust to changes in the environment.  

Over the last several weeks, the ICT was key in helping us open three COVID testing centers to take the pressure off the ED. They worked with the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and the Maryland National Guard, to open a state-run testing site on our campus.  

Give Blood…It’s Vital!!
Currently, blood banks in our state and across the nation are running low on units of blood. The impact of pandemic-associated blood drive cancellations and a host of other coronavirus-related circumstances have worsened the nationwide shortage of blood.  Blood donation is vital to our ability to care for surgical patients, those who’ve suffered traumatic injuries, and patients who need blood because of illnesses such as cancer.  At this time, all time slots are filled for our upcoming blood drive on Thursday, Feb. 10 from 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  in the Civiletti Conference Center. However, if you’re still interested in donating you can put your name on a wait list by contacting Cristie Nickel, our Community Relations and Events Specialist, at CNICKEL@gbmc.org  Donating blood s is easy, it doesn’t take much time, and you will literally be helping to save lives!  If you can’t donate during our upcoming blood drive, please visit here to register for an event at another location or mark your calendars for our next blood drive on Thursday, May 19 . Thank you!