For the last two-plus years, Southern California hospitals and frontline staff have cared for hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 patients and encountered millions of inpatient stays and emergency department visits – all while enduring an onslaught of obstacles. Now, more than half of the state’s hospitals are operating in the red and their care staff are experiencing unprecedented levels of burnout amid record staffing shortages. In response, HASC has launched My SoCal Hospitals, a campaign to educate the public and local decision-makers about this monumental undertaking and to encourage the public to support and express appreciation for our members and their workers.
On top of serving as pillars of healing and hope throughout the pandemic, hospitals tackle some of society’s biggest challenges of inequity, lack of access to care, and economic development. The campaign highlights the many ways in which hospitals and health systems bring value to their communities. Far above and beyond direct medical care, hospitals play a major role in the larger economic and social well-being of the residents who rely on their existence.
The initiative includes the MySoCalHospitals.org website, which details the many ways that hospitals contribute to communities, as well as the challenges they’ve gone through and continue to face. Also available is a social media toolkit that members can use to highlight frontline staff and help promote the campaign to the public. Website visitors can join an email list to receive updates and learn more about our members and their personnel.
In the coming weeks, HASC will release additional videos and various digital assets to enable our member hospitals to share their stories while amplifying our collective message: SoCal hospitals are vital to our communities.
Take care and stay safe.
George G.