Today, the day before Thanksgiving, I want to take the opportunity to veer away from the usual topics and conversations of this blog to allow us all to step back for a moment.
This week, many of us will have a shortened work week, travel to see friends and family, or have family gathered together with us here in Central New York. It is a good time to embrace our friends and family, to think carefully about the work that we all do every day, and to think about our role in the Central New York Community.
I think we can all be thankful for the outstanding medical care that we provide at Upstate Medical University. Both for Syracuse and the broad area of New York from which our patients come, we provide vital services. I often say, because of the precious resources that we have been provided with, we are responsible collectively to provide care that other can’t or won’t in the region. Can’t, because of the outstanding personnel, facilities, and technology that we possess and are unmatched in the region. Won’t, because of many, many factors, and our collective responsibility to our region. We should all be thankful for the privilege to participate in this important activity.
As each of you go about caring for sick and injured patients in our hospital, it is worth stopping on Thanksgiving to assess your own health, the health of those around you, and to consider and give thanks for the precious relationships that each of us has in our lives.
Finally, being a healthcare facility, many of our employees will be here tomorrow. To each and every one of them, I say thank you for the effort on behalf of our patients.
On behalf of myself, and the rest of the leadership at University Hospital, I wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday and hope that you will take the opportunity to step back, consider, and cherish all the things for which we can be thankful.