Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 3, 2020

Erik Lee Scotchman Peak Kootenai Health 2003 Kootenai Health Way Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814 KH.org (208) 625-4000 Kootenai Hospital District Board of Trustees Terence Neff, M.D., Chair Robert Colvin, Vice Chair Katie Brodie, Secretary and Treasurer David Bobbitt, Trustee Cindy Clark, Trustee Thomas deTar, M.D., Trustee James Eisses, Trustee Teri Farr, Trustee Liz Godbehere, Trustee Administration Jon Ness, Chief Executive Officer Jim Adamson, Executive Vice President and General Counsel Karen Cabell, D.O., Chief Physician Executive Jeremy Evans, Executive Vice President of Hospital and Regional Operations Daniel Klocko, Chief Human Resources Officer Patricia Richesin, President, Kootenai Care Network Joan Simon, Chief Nursing Officer Ryan Smith, Chief Information Officer Kim Webb, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer John Weinsheim, Executive Vice President of Kootenai Clinic Executive Regional Editor Kim Anderson Regional Editor Andrea Nagel Cover photo Jerome Pollos, Jerome Pollos Photography Pu blished as a courtesy of Kootenai Health four times a year. Models may be used in photos and illustrations. If you have any concerns or questions about specific content that may affect your health, please contact your health care provider. Kootenai Health complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex. Translation assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Please call (877) 746-4674 . Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al (877) 746-4674 . Ako govorite srpsko-hrvatski, usluge jezicke pomoci dostupne su vam besplatno. Nazovite (877) 746-4674 . 2020 © Coffey Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. November 2020 Finding Hope “Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” —Desmond Tutu I grew up playing several sports in high school and college. Although it seems counterintuitive, if you play sports long enough, you come to realize you learn more from the games you lose than the ones you win. In many regards, 2020 could be considered a losing season. Kids have missed school, weddings have been postponed, family vacations have been canceled, and more than 210,000 Americans have lost their lives. In the midst of that darkness, it is hard to find hope, but hope is what is required to move forward. Here are a few things that give me great hope. Character: This pandemic has given us all the opportunity to see the true character of our friends and neighbors. Although there have been some moments that no one is proud of, there have been many more that show ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Community: The generosity and caring of our community has never been more apparent than it has been during the pandemic. Unseen armies of seamstresses sewed handmade masks. Generous donors provided financial support. First responders organized a parade of support. Rotarians delivered dozens upon dozens of roses to health care workers, and others provided notes of encouragement and thanks. The acts of kindness are too numerous to list, but all were deeply appreciated. This community encouragement has been a light in the darkness. Creativity: In the face of impossible shortages of needed resources, Kootenai Health staff members found creative solutions to make the impossible possible. They sanitized equipment with ultraviolet light, made our own hand sanitizer, and found ways to conserve and reuse personal protective equipment. The nice thing about creativity: the more of it you use, the more you have. Compassion: As we watched the pandemic spread around the world, then across the United States, we realized how fragile and precious life is. COVID-19 has required us all to sacrifice on some level, and through that sacrifice, we have compassion for others and the sacrifices they have made. Any time I can take my eyes off myself and think more about “we” than “me,” it doesn’t just benefit others—I find I am also happier and the better for doing it. No one wishes for a loss, but it is as much a part of life as winning. If we disregard the opportunity loss provides for us to grow, we have lost on two fronts. Focus on the light instead of the darkness, and you find the light, and hope, inside yourself. Wishing you good health, Jon Ness, CEO Health 4