Thank You for Your Outstanding Efforts

To The Johns Hopkins Hospital community

Dear Colleagues,

Thanks to your unyielding commitment to patient care, The Johns Hopkins Hospital has weathered this weekend’s historical blizzard. The exemplary dedication of our employees and members of the medical staff was on full display, as individuals from across the Hospital worked tirelessly to ensure our patients received the best possible care. We are truly grateful to all of you who worked this weekend, particularly those who took on extended shifts and stayed multiple nights away from your families.

Special preparations and support took place in every department, and we have heard countless stories over the past few days of unsung heroes going beyond the normal scope of their duties—from nutrition workers to facilities employees who cleared snow from walkways, parking lots and garage roofs; to security personnel and staff drivers who helped transport nurses, physicians and staff; to materials management team members who managed cots, linens and other supplies, not just for patients, but for hundreds of employees. So many of our great people did what needed to be done to ensure our hospital continued to operate smoothly in spite of the record snowfall.

This historic weather event presented many special challenges. An extraordinary number of employees extended their shifts from Friday through Sunday and Monday, and more than 160 environmental care services employees worked overtime to ensure a clean, safe environment for our patients and their families, as well as our staff members who dutifully stayed at the hospital for the duration of the weekend.

We are also immensely grateful to the crucial work of our command center staff members who led our preparedness efforts, making sure we were entirely prepared for the emergency.

As we return to normal operations, there is still some follow-up that needs to be done. Our outpatient clinic staff will be rescheduling missed appointments, referring messages to physicians, and responding to voicemail. Because of your extraordinary service, however, our hospital continues to run seamlessly. Thank you again for your profound commitment, unity and dedication in this very trying weather event.

Sincerely,

Ronald R. Peterson
President, The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine