Always Faithful

Thank You to All Who Share Their Talents With Us

The month of May is a busy one for recognizing healthcare workers. We celebrate Nurses Week (May 6-12), Hospital Week (May 8-14) and EMS Week (May 21-27).

Nurses Week ends on Florence Nightingale’s birthday. Widely regarded as the founder of modern nursing, Nightingale was a visionary who revolutionized hygiene, wound care and living standards in the late 19th century.

One of the highlights of Nurses Week and Hospital Week at Catholic Medical Center (CMC) is a tradition many look forward to — the blessing of the hands. Members of our pastoral care team visit our caregivers and pray over their healing hands.

This tradition is a humbling experience. It reminds us that there is a compassionate human touch behind all of the innovative technologies of modern medicine. It also reinforces CMC’s work
and mission to carry out Christ’s healing ministry to offer health, healing and hope to everyone who seeks our care.

It’s notable that we celebrate Nurses Week around the same time as college and university commencements. This summer, we will welcome a new class into our nurse residency program, setting them up for success as they transition into bedside roles and put their hands to work. 

It is always exciting to see these new nurses arrive with so much energy and even more exciting to see them transformed by the powerful experience of caring for patients.

As I write this, I am reminded of the words of wisdom from a friend’s dad. He never forgot Jesus’ parable about talents (Mt 25: 14 -30) and perceived his role as a father to do everything he could to support and bring out his children’s God-given talents. He believed he would ultimately be judged by whether he supported his children in developing their talents.

That is how I see my role as CEO — to support every one of CMC’s employees to use their gifts and talents to their fullest.

There’s an opportunity for everyone involved in the spectrum of care to be moved — if not transformed — by the call of working in a health system. You can imagine how profound it is to witness birth, death and the miracles that happen in between.

Nevertheless, there are also many other opportunities to make a difference in someone else’s life and, in turn, feel the difference in yours.

Our social workers and case managers, environmental service and nutrition staff, laboratory and imaging technicians, greeters at the front desk, security staff and patient account representatives — the list goes on and on. Each person has the chance, every day, to make our patients and families feel supported and cared for — and they do.

Every role helps us carry out Christ’s healing ministry by showing his love through kindness, compassion and understanding!

In celebrating Nurses Week, Hospital Week and EMS Week, I thank and congratulate all those who share their talents with us, our patients and our community, and invite anyone who feels the call to care to join us at CMC.

Alex Walker is president and CEO of CMC Healthcare System: Catholic Medical Center, New England Heart & Vascular Institute, and several subsidiaries. He and his wife, Lisa, live in Manchester.