3rd Annual National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care
February 14, 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga
Elizabeth Jones, Executive Assistant to the Dean (liz.jones@erlanger.org) (423) 778-6956
Some 25 Medical Students and Residents ofThe University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga Distribute 7,000 Chocolate Kisses in Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga for the 3rd Annual National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care
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Chattanooga, Tennessee (February 14, 2013): On Feb 14, some 25 medical students and resident physicians, as well as several faculty members at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, part of the statewide UT Health Science Center, joined medical schools throughout North America to observe the 3rd Annual National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care. The designation for this day grew out of the Jan 8, 2011 shootings in Tucson, Ariz, that critically injured then Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, injured 13 others, and killed six people.
The first trauma surgeon to treat Congresswoman Giffords, Randall Friese, MD, struck a chord when he stated to the press that his most important actions that terrible day were "holding her hand, speaking to her, and reassuring her that she was in the hospital and would be cared for." For the third consecutive year, medical schools and institutions across the U.S. and Canada stood in solidarity on Feb 14, paying tribute to all compassionate care givers like Dr. Friese and the University Medical Center team in Tucson who cared for the wounded and dying that day.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation and its national Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) Chapters established the Annual National Day of Solidarity for Compassionate Patient Care. The GHHS Chapter of the UT College of Medicine, and the Transitional Year Residents at the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, distributed 350 special GHHS Solidarity buttons and more than 170 gold bags, filled with 7,000 chocolate kisses, to many of their colleagues at all three UTHSC major educational and clinical sites in Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. UTSHSC students and the residents also set up poster displays in each location to honor health care team members who exemplify the ideals of GHHS through consistent demonstration of high-touch skills, empathy, compassion, and patient-centered care.
Photos to the right from the Solidarity Day display at Erlanger Health System and at the Madison Plaza lobby of UTHSC in Memphis:
Photo #1: (Chattanooga) Erlanger Administrative Assistant for Non-Invasive Cardiology, Donna Hammonds, is shown signing a poster that asked students, residents, faculty and health care workers to "Share the ways you as a patient or health care provider have been touched by compassionate care and pass on the spirit of Solidarity Day." The two physicians representing the GHHS Chapter are Transitional Year Residents at the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, Katherine Fyall, MD, and Kristen Dunbar, MD.
Photo #2: (Chattanooga) UT College of Medicine Chattanooga Transitional Year Residents leading the Solidarity Day event at Erlanger and the UT College of Medicine in Chattanooga are Katherine Fyall, MD; Kristen Dunbar, MD; and Alia Durrani, MD. After their Transitional Year Residency in Chattanooga ends, each will begin residency training in dermatology, ophthalmology, and ophthalmology, respectively. The Transitional Year Residency provides required, broad-based general training and fundamental skills before a physician enters a planned career subspecialty. Comments made by those who added their thoughts to a poster on display included statements such as one made by Jan Keys, Erlanger Chief Nursing Officer, "Compassion is a gift we can give our patients," and "Thank you UTCOMC Residents for all you do!"
Photo #3: (Memphis) UT College of Medicine Memphis 4th year medical student and GHHS Chapter member, Michelle Bowden, staffs the table for the Annual National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Patient Care in the Madison Plaza lobby of the UT Health Science Center, Memphis Campus. Bowden was one of several student distributing chocolate kisses and Solidarity buttons to those who stopped to add their names and comments on a poster that asked, "What does Compassionate Care mean to you?" Comments ranged from, "Treat others as you would ant to be treated" to "Every patient's story is a treasure waiting to be uncovered." Other GHHS members involved included M-4 students, Jennifer Gordon, Patrick Aldred, and Chuck Fraga.
The Gold Humanism Honor Society recognizes individuals who are exemplars of humanistic patient care. The power of the organization brings them together to sustain their own humanism and to inspire and nurture humanism in others. Begun in 2002, the GHHS nationwide has ninety-five medical school chapters and more than 13,000 members. For more information about GHHS and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, visit www.humanism-in-medicine/ghhs.org.
UTCOM Chattanooga GHHS Contact:
Mukta Panda, MD, FACP, Chapter DirectorUniversity of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga
mpanda@uthsc.edu and (423) 778-6670
The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga is part of the statewide academic health system: The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. The Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga campuses are separately accredited by the ACGME to sponsor residency and fellowship programs in a variety of specialties. The primary clinical affiliated institution in Chattanooga is Erlanger Health System. For more information about the UT College of Medicine Chattanooga, visit: www.utcomchatt.org, or email lizjones@uthsc.edu.
As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service. Offering a broad range of postgraduate and selected baccalaureate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing & Pharmacy. UTHSC also educates and trains cohorts of medicine, pharmacy and/or allied health students - in addition to medical residents and fellows - at its major sites in Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Nashville. Founded in 1911, during its more than 100 years, UT Health Science Center has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals in academic settings and health care facilities across the state. For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.
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