Jason Rounds: Hi! It's Jason Rounds here to wish you a happy National Hospital Week. This is an opportunity to join with over 6.3 million caregivers working in hospitals across the United States to highlight the innovative ways each of us supports the communities and the people we serve.

Here are a few reasons why we celebrate Hospital Week each year in May. First, to recognize the 5,000 hospitals, healthcare systems, networks, and others who provide care to the communities. We think it's essential that others see the impact hospitals have made on communities. And it's important for us to celebrate you, the caregivers, who have taken on unimaginable challenges and have risen to the occasion repeatedly. Let's take a few minutes to talk about each of these important areas.

First, providing care to our community. San Juan Regional Medical Center was founded in 1910 by two doctors who saw a great community need. Patients needed care right here instead of traveling the treacherous 50 miles to the hospital in Durango, Colorado. As years passed, community members and staff gave their own money to buy supplies for the hospital to keep it growing. And grow it did, from eight beds in 1910 to the 198 beds that exist today, along with the 18 clinics in two states and three cities. Our care continues to expand based on our community's need. As part of our passion to build a healthier community, we're committed to offering more convenience of care, more choices of specialists, and more healthy programs. Because of us, it's about more than the care we administer within our walls. We are here to promote prevention and wellness, offering free programs and classes to help our friends and our neighbors start living a healthier, happier life.

Next, we make an impact. As a community hospital with a regional outreach, we have the opportunity to make an impact on the communities we are privileged to serve every day. The impact may be immediate, like with a procedure performed in our interventional spine team, or surgery performed by one of our surgeons, or the impact may be felt over time, such as the patients in our diabetes classes learning how to live healthier lives while managing their diabetes. We are here with the expertise and dedication to support our patients in every step of the way. While our patients benefit from personalized care we provide, it's really our entire community that prospers from our presence. From the patients we treat, the caregivers we employ, the community events we are dedicated and proud to support, and the education we provide, we are here to make our community a better place where we can all work, play, thrive, and celebrate life. We are a huge economic driver for our area. Between payroll taxes, charity and uncompensated care, dollars spent with our local merchants and more, we invested over 254 billion into our community in 2023. That's something we can all be proud of as we work to create life better here.

You accomplish important work caring for our patients and our community. You work day and night to provide care on the front lines of public health. You live our mission of better, improving lives through personalized health and care. You make a difference and show your perseverance, and the use of our core values is nothing short of inspiring. I can't say enough for all that you do. You administer life-saving and life-changing care. You are there to hold the hands of our patients and be a shoulder to cry on. You are there to comfort families, guide them through complicated processes, and help them make difficult decisions. You help bring new life into the world and you help guide families and patients through their final journey. Never forget the meaningful impact that you make every day.

As we celebrate Hospital Week, let's not forget that our dedication extends beyond our roles as healthcare providers. We are a united family of caregivers who deeply care for one another, creating an environment of support and compassion. Happy Hospital Week.