Monthly Archives: January 2018

Our Stories: Looking Back and Advancing Forward

Welcome to 2018!

The New Year is always an opportunity for growth, renewal, and a time to look back on the passing year.  Those who know me well know that this is my favorite time of year. It is such a wondrous time, but is routinely both stressful and joyous. I greatly value the memories created when spending time with my family and friends. This brings me joy and recharges my spirit. I hope that you were able to do the same. For me, it is these moments and memories that provide the much needed fuel to help combat the stress of working in an ever-changing, fast-paced, and often taxing environment that is health care today. This season brings an opportunity for reflection and really brings home to me, why I have chosen health care as my path.

Recently I’ve been thinking about all of the things we have accomplished in 2017. Often the larger picture can get blurred in our day-to-day work. We are all constantly trying to be better, but rarely do we actively review what accomplishments have occurred. When I start listing the projects and improvements, I’m overwhelmed by what our efforts have been able to achieve. You are what makes working at UIHC really special. Every single person at this institution brings a unique and unquantifiable perspective and skillset to work every day. A colleague reminded me of this just yesterday when he sent me the New York Times op-ed by Tom Brokaw from December 31, 2017, entitled “You Can Find the Entire World Inside Your Hospital.” In it Mr. Brokaw notes, “What I’ve learned is that American health care is a universe of scientific genius and selfless compassion populated by what seems to be the most diverse population in the country.” Your individual capacity for teamwork and caring make our unique organization a truly great place to be, day in and day out.

In order for us to celebrate all the amazing work that has been happening here this past year, I’ve gathered just a few of our institutional stats to share. Note, this list is by no means, and it is not meant to be, all encompassing. The actual connections built, patients healed, families heard, and students inspired are what we are truly proud of.

In 2017, we . . .

*The following numbers are rough estimates
  • Completed and opened the new University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital
  • Cared for over 31,000 inpatients
  • Delivered over 2,200 babies
  • Provided around 3 million meals
  • Volunteered over 120,000 hours
  • Triaged and cared for around 55,000 ETC visitors (with over 800 being transported via AirCare)
  • Provided around 350,000 radiographic exams and treatments
  • Saw and cared for over 900,000 patients in clinics
  • Filled over 1.5 million pharmacy orders
  • Provided around 6 million laboratory tests
  • Trained over 4,000 students in Health Education
  • Provided over 200,000 social service consultations
  • Performed over 26,000 instances of service recovery
  • Submitted over 15,000 PSNs
  • The valet team parked over 77,000 vehicles
  • Positively changed an unquantifiable number of lives

Together we are greater than the sum of our parts, and we have accomplished so much. This new year is guaranteed to bring more incredible accomplishments. It will surely bring challenges and is likely to bring hardships as well. We must remember to celebrate our achievements and recover quickly from difficulties. This is the true definition of resilience.

For 2018, I challenge you to find out what it is that recharges you and take the time to embrace it. This will allow us to push forward together and accomplish so much as a team. I am proud to be your colleague and I want to thank you for all you do each and every day to make this such a great place. I wish you a wonderful 2018, filled with good health, happiness, and success!

—Theresa Brennan, MD, Chief Medical Officer