A message from Pat Givens
2022 was a truly extraordinary year , both in the significant events and challenges we encountered , yet also in the innovative , service-oriented ways pediatric professionals rose to meet them .
Together , we began the year in a hopeful phase of recovery from the pandemic , with vaccines becoming available to more and more of our pediatric patients and COVID-19 moving toward an endemic state . Administrative and clinical nursing leaders partnered to ensure that our patients had access to vaccines in the community and at sites across our System of Care . Clinical research teams and advocates at Children ’ s Colorado contributed locally and nationally to this reach , aligned with our mission to improve the health of children .
In August , we saw a significant rise in acute respiratory disease , particularly asthma , driven by Enterovirus-D68 . Our inpatient volumes were the highest they have been in August for many years . On the heels of this late summer surge , an early respiratory season swept the nation , including focally in Colorado . Our system of care faced a surge in patient volumes and acuity unlike anything Children ’ s Colorado had experienced in its 114-year history . As the “ tripledemic ” of RSV , COVID-19 and influenza continued to drive unparalleled numbers of patients to seek our care throughout the fall , our team members and leaders joined together to create innovative solutions and ensure we could continue delivering high quality care to all who needed us .
Through all of this , our team members continued to achieve incredible things — from research and innovation that changes lives and transforms child health , to moments of compassion and connection that bring hope and comfort to our patients and their families , and everything in between .
As I think about all we have weathered together and the many ways our team members continually rise to meet the needs of our patients , their families and each other , I am humbled and inspired by the strong foundation that sustains our shared work . As Beth Wathen , MSN , RN , CCRN-K , explores in the feature story on pg . 11 , we are many individuals united by shared roots that strengthen us . This theme is reflected time and again in the stories gathered here that showcase the wealth of expertise , compassion , creativity , resiliency and dedication demonstrated every day by team members at Children ’ s Colorado . During challenging times like these , we look to our shared roots to support us and keep us going , holding us up and keeping us anchored through the changes we face .
This 2022 Patient Care Services Annual Report memorializes what we have experienced together and celebrates many of our accomplishments . Recent years have brought extraordinary new opportunities and challenges ; yet together , rooted in strength , we answer that call , and I am honored to serve alongside the incredible colleagues at Children ’ s Colorado .
PAT GIVENS , DHA , EdM , RN , NEA-BC
Senior Vice President , Chief Nursing Executive Dr . Dori Biester Chair in Pediatric Nursing
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