Amid the Pandemic, Some Good News

Good morning!

I am thankful to see the first of September and to know the promise of fall.  This month, two of my four children – my oldest and my youngest – have birthdays, so I typically feel a bit reflective (and maybe a little older) each September.  I am sure many of you will agree with me:  I am ready to see this year in the rear view mirror.  Having said that, 2020 has brought us some positive developments that have been bright spots in an otherwise dreary year. 

I’ll talk about a few that occurred recently, but first I want to say a few words about the pandemic response and related developments in the clinical mission.    

As you know, both our numbers and the statewide numbers of new cases and hospitalizations are trending downward.  After a few weeks of mostly lower numbers, I feel comfortable calling this a trend.  We are concerned about the potential for an upward tick as we see outbreaks in colleges and K-12, and we know that the Labor Day weekend may be a time for people to gather and to spread the virus.  We have seen that the measures of wearing a mask, avoiding large groups, social distancing and rigorous attention to hand hygiene can and do work.  Let’s continue to practice these measures ourselves and encourage others to do so.

While our numbers of COVID-19 patients have declined, our overall inpatient volumes have remained at capacity.  The beds in the EDs, inpatient floors and ICUs are still full.  Our patient care workforce has not seen a decline in patients.  With the added impact of the pandemic, things are still very intense.  I appreciate all you are doing.

I am very pleased we are participating in a number of clinical trials, especially an upcoming vaccine trial.  This high-intensity trial, led by Dr. Leandro Mena, professor and chair of population health science, will seek to recruit as few as 50 participants per week for the 12-week study from a broad, diverse population of Mississippi citizens, including UMMC employees.  Results from these trials will be used to select the best choices for COVID-19-specific vaccines that will be made available to the general population as soon as possible.

And speaking of vaccines, we began offering flu shots early this year, on Sept. 1.  More than ever, it is important this year for all of us to get our flu shots and to get them early.  Anything we can do to protect ourselves, our families and our patients and to decrease the spread of flu this year should be done.  Please encourage others to do the same.  We are expecting a chaotic fall due to efforts to return to school, normal flu outbreaks and continued spread of coronavirus.

Finally, in the clinical realm, it’s time once again for the Culture of Safety Survey.  Results of previous safety surveys, administered in 2017 and 2018, helped UMMC develop our Chasing Zero initiative, increase patient safety reporting and implement more robust communication tools, such as our visual management boards.  Clinical teams, please respond to this survey promptly when you receive it in your email on Sept. 14. More information about the survey is on the Intranet.

Now for some good news. 

In May we opened and began to operate our Mississippi Center for Emergency Services in new headquarters.  Located adjacent to I-55 between St. Dominic to the north and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety to the south, this distinctive building has made it possible for all MCES services - including pediatric transport, neonatal transport, Mississippi MED-COM, public safety support and AirCare, the state’s most advanced medical helicopter transport program - to be contained under one roof.  We had to postpone a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week due to Hurricane Laura, but we look forward to having a formal celebration with our state and federal champions of the project, including U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, later this fall.

Last week we had a very small, pandemic-appropriate ribbon-cutting event for our new Interventional Radiology Suite on the ground floor below University Heart.  For Dr. Tim McCowan, who this week stepped down as chair of radiology, this has been a priority for many years.  His vision is realized in an amazing, state-of-the-art facility that is described as one of only 10 like it in the country.  This is a much-needed upgrade to our radiology services, both in terms of updated space and in patient care advancements. Dr. McCowan has served as radiology chair since 2007 and has guided the department through many changes. He has been an enthusiastic and steady leader with an unrelenting commitment to the IR project. He told me he was ready to "declare victory" and pass the torch.  Congratulations and deep appreciation for all he has done for UMMC and the Department of Radiology.

On Oct. 13, we will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony for our long-awaited Children’s of Mississippi expansion.  We are working hard to plan small group tours and virtual events to share this phenomenal new space with as many folks as we can.  Last night I had the opportunity to participate – virtually – in an event recognizing major donors to the project.  The highlight of the evening was the reveal of the name for the new facility:  The Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower.  As co-chairs of our Children’s Campaign Steering Committee, the Sandersons have led us in raising $83 million toward our $100 million goal, despite the pandemic.  As we move into the home stretch of the campaign, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to the Sandersons for their steadfast leadership as well as their personal financial support of this vital project.

Though not as exciting as opening new space, I also really look forward to the removal of construction fencing.  The fencing between the Heart Center and the School of Nursing will be removed during the week of Sept. 21. (The fencing immediately west of the Heart Center entrance, which is the staging area for operating room HVAC upgrades, will be in place until later in the fall.)  Of course, the construction fencing and materials around the children’s expansion began coming down this week and will be gone next week.  You might also have noticed, on Tuesday of this week, the last remaining trailer on campus, Trailer 1, which housed Physical Facilities for 46 years, was demolished.  The debris will be fully removed by the end of today.

While we are focusing much of our energy on the pandemic, it is good to see some activities that feel more “normal” continuing to occur. 

I hope every one of you has a moment to rest at some point during this Labor Day weekend.  We have challenges, but we also are continuing to advance each of our missions.  Carry on.  Proceed with courage.  Be persistent.  Stay safe and #UMMCStrong.