Dear friends and neighbors,
As we near the end of the year, I am reflecting on the exceptional work of the more than 16,000 people who make up our team at UVA Health — from doctors, nurses, and other allied health professionals to educators, researchers, and support staff. They are among the best and brightest at what they do and the reason I come to work every day.
Many UVA Health breakthroughs in care originate from our frontline teams and community partners:
One of my most important jobs is listening and supporting our team members when they have ideas, big or small, to improve care for our patients and our communities. From rapidly standing up community testing events to supporting local vaccination efforts with an eye toward equitable distribution to conducting more routine care visits via telehealth — these ideas, and others, were inspired by our frontline teams who are constantly looking for new ways to deliver the highest quality care for our patients. These grassroots innovations and our collaborative leadership teams drive innovation in the wonderful patient care we provide here at UVA Health. I’m also proud of our many community partners and their collaboration with our teams, including the
Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church and Church of the Incarnation that received Governor Northam’s Volunteerism and Community Service Award for Outstanding Faith-Based Organization.
We are working to keep you safe and healthy this holiday season:
With the rise of the omicron variant of COVID-19 in the past few weeks, our nationally recognized infectious diseases researchers continue to provide us with the knowledge and tools to combat the pandemic. Among them, Dr. Peter Kasson is working to better understand the new coronavirus variant, Dr. Amy Mathers is sequencing samples of omicron, and Dr. Bill Petri is
educating the public about omicron and investigating protections for immunocompromised patients
. As we are learning, COVID-19 is formidable and continuously mutating. Our experts and public health officials now advise that COVID-19 vaccines become less effective over time and that booster shots serve as an added defense against the virus and its new strains, including the highly contagious omicron variant and breakthrough cases. I would encourage you to be vaccinated or have a booster shot if you have not yet done so. You can make an appointment at UVA Health today.
Our collective efforts will positively shape UVA Health's future:
I can't wait to show you what the future of UVA Health looks like in spring 2022 when we unveil our comprehensive strategic plan. And it's not just our team members who are helping shape a continually improving UVA Health for our patients and the communities we serve. Your input has been invaluable — from the hundreds of comments submitted through our strategic planning website
to the listening sessions with our patient and family advisory council to ongoing meetings with community leaders and local organizations. All of your feedback will be reflected in our aspirations for the decade ahead and how we plan for growth and success. Our collective efforts will result in better care for you, your family, and our community. To that end, you will be seeing an announcement soon that UVA Health is currently recruiting 100 new physicians to meet the growing demand for our care — stay tuned for more details on this exciting announcement.
As we transition to 2022, I am exceptionally grateful for the trust our community places in UVA Health.
Wishing you and your loved ones health and happiness this holiday season,
K. Craig Kent, MD
Chief Executive Officer, UVA Health
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Virginia |
|
|
|
|
