The inspiration for the campaign, You are Special, We are Specialists, came from all around me. In several conversations with Phil Sowa, our CEO, and other mangers and employees, there was a sense of frustration that our hospital, with its long history of leadership in medicine in St. Louis, was being redefined by everyone but us. Hospitals more than ever are in the public’s full view and constantly being scrutinized by the media and quality reporting agencies for our work. And that’s ok – we are accountable to each and every person that we care for, and our quality numbers have been and continue to be strong. But there is a human side to the data that has to be a part of our story too, or the whole story isn’t being told.
One of the strongest elements of our culture is the relationship that our caregivers have with our patients. I have worked at other hospitals and can tell you that it really is different here. Each one of our patients has a story. Each one of our patients is a member of a family, has hobbies, likes and dislikes, memories and hopes. Then something happened that brought them into our care. The time that they spend here becomes a chapter in people’s lives, and each life is special. So my staff and I went looking for patient stories to tell.
There was one particular that I knew I wanted to share was Jahna Whitner. I crossed paths with her over a year ago when she was just starting to gain her confidence back as a dancer. She was crushed in a horrific car accident on Christmas Eve, 2010. She almost didn’t survive – her blood pressure was so low by the time she got here that surgery was dangerous, but it was also her only hope. Once her life had been saved, then the task of repairing her crushed pelvis, left arm, and legs began. It was possible that she would not walk again, but that was not an option for either her or us. She was a dancer, and she was special.
Our team of physicians including Dr. John Boudreau and our nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, care partners, and others worked to fully heal her. Among other things, they developed special exercises for her to do because of her training as a dancer and they even a glove made out of rubber bands especially for her so she could begin moving her left hand and regain strength in her arm. She is now two years post-accident and doing back flips. Literally. During the filming, as she talked about our people and Dr. Boudreau, tears of joy would build up in her eyes. She told us over and over that we gave her life back to her. She lit up when he walked on to the set and the affection that they have for each other is real. A frequent question that I’ve gotten from fellow staff here is “How did you get the doctors to do that?!?” It was easy…I just told them what our plan was and they did it. And then watching them made me realize that it was because of the genuine affection they have for their patients. They enjoy being doctors and they especially enjoy helping heal people so they can be the dancers, personal trainers, dads and famous florists that they are supposed to be.
If the campaign is successful it will be because it’s true. And for daily inspiration, I can just go take a walk through the hospital and talk to our caregivers, patients and families.
By: Laura Keller
