Every spring for the past 50 years, the nation has come together to recognize the special place hospitals hold in their communities — the lives they save, the families they support, the unimaginable challenges they help people face and conquer, year after year.
This year, during National Hospital Week, held May 11-17, the focus is on the stories we share about our hospitals and what they mean to us.
And every hospital has a story.
Because every patient has a story.
There’s Kelly O’Connor, a breast cancer survivor from San Diego: “You would not believe the joy that it brings me to simply just play with my dogs in the backyard while sipping a cup of coffee … [the hospital] immediately made me feel comfortable and that I was a person, not just a patient or a number.”
There’s Mateo, from Los Angeles, who was born after just 28 weeks in the womb. From his mother: “…It’s a roller coaster of emotions … sometimes you forget like you are forming a new family … and the staff here makes sure that you even enjoy the little things …”
There’s Drake, from Sacramento, who overcame a serious bone infection to return to his love of playing soccer. From his father: “They made a big difference in our lives and we’ll always be thankful for that.”
These are just three of the tens of thousands of examples every year in California where hospitals have made a positive difference in people’s lives. In many cases, hospitals are literally the difference between life and death, and it’s chilling to imagine a world in which your local hospital either isn’t there, or is a shadow of what it is today.
Regrettably, that is a reality we must consider. As federal policymakers debate sweeping cuts to Medicaid, as the state chokes the availability of health care services through the Office of Health Care Affordability, and as profit-driven commercial insurance companies continue to engage in practices that harm patients, hospitals are caught in the middle — doing the best they can to care, 24/7, no matter what’s needed.
Next week, state lawmakers will hear a resolution on the floor of the Capitol honoring the awe-inspiring work of hospitals — the 400,000 babies born each year in California hospitals, the 1 in 4 Californians treated in emergency departments every year, the response during disasters like the Los Angeles wildfires, the support for vulnerable people, and so much more.
We are grateful. And this is a proud and public affirmation of something every Californian holds as true: Hospitals help people and save lives, and they must be protected.
