April 20, 2020
Hello,
Last week we hosted an “all hands-on deck” virtual meeting—an update on the medical school’s response to COVID-19. The meeting program is attached here. The comments of Sarah Peirce, director, management and operations for the Department of Internal Medicine, were particularly meaningful, reflecting in so many wonderful ways the sentiments of all of us during these complicated times. With her permission, I’m sharing her remarks below:
Hi, hello—for those of you that don’t know me—my name is Sarah Peirce—I am the DMO in the Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Stoll asked me to give a few remarks to the staff of McGovern Medical School today so I’m sharing with you a little of what I’ve shared with my own staff and managers and expressing some of their own appreciation.
I first want to thank all the leaders of our medical school and institution. I know we all appreciate the support and communication that is keeping us all moving forward. Dr. Colasurdo told us in one of his first COVID communications that our university stands with us and is here to help us as we help others. I, for one, am feeling very thankful that my badge is burnt orange. I’m sure I speak for so many of the staff in our institution, when I say we are so proud to be part of supporting the front lines of this pandemic. Supporting the care of each other, supporting the care of our community, the communities our families live in.
My father’s preferred way of doling out life advice is through one liners—some of which I’m still trying to find applicable—but I shared one of his favorites from Joseph Kennedy with my teams at the beginning of all of “this”…when things were moving really fast, frantically, and kinda scary. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”—I’ve found this ringing in my ears so many time in life—say—when you don’t make the 4th grade basketball team or when my house was full of water after Hurricane Katrina decimated by hometown and most especially now in a global pandemic. This is what I think about when I think about all of the staff and students and faculty swirling around. The toughness to get going when and where we are needed. Every single one of us, in the roles and responsibilities given to us. We might not all be tough at the exact time, and we are all going in different and important ways, but the collective “get going” in all of this big huge UTHealth family is inspiring to be a part of.
I know our leaders are working hard to get us back to work and to a sense of some new normalcy. While we don’t know exactly what this looks like yet, testing seems to be a common theme. Our labs and research teams are striving to make this type of testing a reality as others work on research projects that get us closer to better treatments, improved patient care for those infected with COVID, and how we will manage this outbreak if there is a next wave.
I am in awe of the leadership, innovation, and determination of our medical providers and scientists. The resiliency of an entire student body and workforce converting to a whole new way of learning and working…and for the IT support and infrastructure to make it all happen on a dime. A brand-new telemedicine platform sped up and rolled out quicker than possible, our clinic employees coming together to take care of our patients in any way they can. And the screeners at the UT Professional Building….I’m not sure what Andrew Casas has promised them, but they haven’t stopped smiling. The ones cleaning our offices and labs, guarding our buildings, and handing out masks. Those of you teleworking who figured out new technology and routines overnight. Clinical staff on the nurse triage lines answering calls 24-hrs a day, and those who have stepped up to test our patients and our own staff for this debilitating virus. All of you that come into offices, labs, and animal care facilities daily to keep everything moving. Residents and fellows volunteering for COVID shifts and figuring out how to matriculate early and jump in as quickly as possible. Employees juggling homeschooling, WebEx, and Zoom calls with children on their lap or the logistics on how to get groceries to aging parents in other states.
And, of course, our physicians and health care workers standing on the front line of this pandemic with our hospital partners. Not a minute goes by that we are all not proud to be in support of and in service to you.
When I put this all together, I can see us collectively making up the ribbons of the UTHealth logo. The patchwork of our schools, the grid of our contributions to something bigger than ourselves. The tensile strength of this fabric, this weave is unstoppable when we are all together, when we are tough and when we get going. I hope that you feel woven into this fabric as our toughness is pushed to the brink.
In part of our University standing with us, comes resources that I want to make sure all the staff and everyone is aware of. If you have questions, are feeling lost or need help you are always encouraged to reach out to your friendly departmental DMO. These are my amazing peers, and I know they are ready and willing to be a resource for all employees.
UTHealth has a dedicated home-base site that catalogs all the COVID related communications, Policy and Procedure Updates, Frequently Asked Questions as well as links to UT Physicians updates, CDC, Harris County Public Health etc. You can click the banner on the front page of uth.tmc.edu.
On the UTEAP- Employee Assistance Program’s main web page you will find 24-hr crisis lines, as well as information on getting appointments with our own Psychiatry Department. The EAP site also contains information on employee wellness as well as links to meditations and mindfulness exercises, if you just need a relaxing break. We know everyone handles stress and change differently; if you are worried about your emotional well-being, please reach out to one of these resources. Our fabric woven together will continue to withstand, if we are all healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.
And if you are just feeling overwhelmed dealing with uncertainty, try making self-care a priority—exercise, sleep, and eat well. Focus on the things you can control- being kind to others or tackle a home project. Try journaling—set a timer for 3 minutes and try writing down all your fears and worries; I bet you run of worries before your time is up. And please remember to go easy on yourself and others.
I will leave you with a note from one of Dr. Stoll’s earlier Study Breaks— “ours is a very special community, and I am confident that as we face the challenging days ahead, we will be there for each other. This pandemic will bring out the best of our collective humanity.”
Please join me in thanking Sarah Peirce for her inspiring remarks. And remember to thank each other. We are privileged to work alongside wonderful colleagues at McGovern Medical School.
Regards,
Barbara
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