But over the course of a severe January and February, there have been a number of incredible stories that illuminated the effect our team has on care delivery.
Two weeks ago, unforgiving cold, ice and snow, and power outages raged through the southern states. A health system in Texas was faced with a critically low blood platelet supply and urgent patient needs. Platelets were being effectively collected in Dallas but needed to be delivered more than 100 miles to the hospital. Our Lead LSR (and native Midwesterner), Rolando Cabello, stepped up and made a slow, careful overnight trek on icy highways to deliver boxes of platelets safely to the hospital. The immediate effect of his trip was felt, as the platelets were rushed into the hospital for patient use.
In Tennessee, a lab was suddenly sidelined because of burst pipes. The specimens already in the lab needed to be transported immediately to a nearby hospital before they spoiled. Our LSR, Mike Beard, drove 50 miles to the lab to transport the specimens and stayed overnight to help. His efforts meant that the lab could continue to provide uninterrupted care delivery to patients in the community.
Stories like this are far from the only time we have a bearing on care – a bright and sunny day with deliveries that occur without impediment means that patients have surgeries on time or receive the correct diagnosis. But these extraordinary stories do serve the purpose of illuminating our mission and its impact on our customers and the patients they serve.
I am grateful to our entire team for their tireless efforts during the difficult events of the last few weeks and for all they do day in and day out.