Health care workers in the United States have been at the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic for more than 16 months.
As National Hospital Week begins Monday, SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital will start its celebration of local hospital workers by participating in a national moment of silence at 10 a.m., said Jessica Royston, SSM Health's regional manager of marketing and communications.
The hospital invites the community, government agencies, friends and neighbors to participate in the moment.
The observance will honor the many individuals who have risen as heroes throughout the pandemic - as well as those who have died or lost loved ones to the disease, she said.
"Front-line caregivers, first responders and essential workers in every corner of our community put aside their personal concerns over the past year, rising as true heroes; and businesses and communities stepped up in incredible ways to support them," Laura Kaiser, SSM Health CEO, said in a news release. "We simply want to take a moment to lift all those impacted by the pandemic in our thoughts and prayers, joining together in gratitude and remembrance."
The moment kicks off a week of recognition of the hard work of the hospital's employees, she said. The hospital intends to provide treats for employees throughout the week but also to recognize workers and community partners. It will host a barbecue for staff Thursday.
Recognition will go to a number of people.
"We asked staff to nominate their peers who they thought went above and beyond during the pandemic and exemplified SSM Health's values," Royston said.
Lindsay Huhman, Capital Region Medical Center director of public relations and marketing, said leadership there is also preparing to recognize hospital's employees.
"We've got quite a few things going on for our employees," Huhman said.
Awards for excellence in nursing are to be presented Monday, she said.
Hospital leadership will be handing out food to staff throughout the week. The hospital will have food trucks at its locations (Southwest Boulevard and Madison Street) from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday.
And, the hospital will have an employee picnic for employees 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday - a meal catered by Sweet Smoke BBQ.
The hospital's departments are participating in a "Post-it Notes pixelated art" contest.
It's an important week for the Missouri Hospital Association, association spokesman Dave Dillon said.
"Ultimately what Hospital Week allows us to do is celebrate the folks that do the work," he said. "We're going to simply roll out on social media stuff that helps people understand how important hospitals are."
MHA is recognizing the more than 130,000 hospital employees in the state.
Organizations that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, don't take time to celebrate themselves, he said.
Dillon said he's working with mayors to tell the stories that illustrate the importance of hospitals to communities. They are the voices of local communities, he continued.
Mayors - from Kansas City, Columbia, St. Joseph and Jefferson City's own Mayor Carrie Tergin - are providing statements that can be incorporated in advertisements that will possibly show up in browsers.
The mayors will discuss the economic benefit - and health benefits - of having a hospital in the community, Dillon said.
Jefferson City has the luxury of having choice - with two hospitals, he pointed out.
Tergin told the News Tribune that it's becoming a tradition for her to participate with the MHA in an annual celebration of hospitals. She provided a video last year. This year, she submitted encouragement for hospitals and their employees.
Tergin said the community is not only fortunate to have the hospitals, but Jefferson City Medical Group and other health care providers provide essential services.
They worked together with the county health department throughout the past year to provide weekly messages about the pandemic.
Now, she said, the community is recognizing the importance of nurses. And, she added, we're also fortunate to have a nationally recognized nursing program at Lincoln University.
Dillon said MHA's mayor-inspired messages are to run in the association's social media channels.
"They'll act as a reminder of some of the things hospitals do," Dillon said. "It's that message that we share that they don't often have time to think about."
National Hospital Week begins Monday and runs through May 16. It overlaps with Nurse Appreciation Week, which concludes Monday.
"It's abundantly clear that nurses - whether they be hospital nurses or any other thing they do - have been the tip of the spear for a year and a quarter at least," Dillon said. "If they had not put their heads down and continued to move forward, we wouldn't be where we are."