Grateful for Transylvania Regional Hospital team, our community and more this Thanksgiving
This is the time of year when the holiday season kicks off, and we look forward to seeing family and friends for Thanksgiving. Aside from enjoying the turkey, stuffing, and pies, it’s also a time when many of us feel reflective and grateful for all we have.
It’s no different for me, but in addition to my family, home, health, and friends, I have all of my colleagues at Transylvania Regional Hospital (TRH) to consider — and I am deeply appreciative of them — every day of the year.
It has been said before, but without the highly skilled and caring people who fill TRH, the hospital would be just a building. Our deeply invested providers, care team members, and team members from every department make the hospital the compassionate, caring environment it is.
The dedication I see to making every patient feel cared for, comfortable, and connected is what makes healing happen. We also extend the same compassion to our patient’s loved ones, because having a friend or family member in the hospital is something that impacts everyone, not just the patient. We understand that being in the hospital or visiting the Emergency Department can be disorienting and scary, even if a patient is receiving the best care. This is why I have heard many who care for patients say that they want to be the best thing that happens to them on what may be their worst day.
Many other talented teams make TRH run efficiently and allow patients to receive an uninterrupted, customized continuum of care. These include our radiology, pharmacy, lab, and respiratory teams in addition to TRH’s rehab services, surgical services, wound care, cardiac rehab, infusion, behavioral health, transitional care, and care management teams. Our Environmental Services, Food and Nutrition, Facilities, and Supply Chain team members ensure that our facility supports patients’ care and healing as well.
In addition to the wonderful professionals who deliver the highest quality of care to patients at TRH, I must highlight the gratitude I have for HCA Healthcare, especially their important role in keeping us operational and able to continue providing care during the worst natural disaster our region has seen, Hurricane Helene. We just recognized the one-year anniversary of the storm, and HCA Healthcare provided us with water, fuel, internet connectivity, food and medical supplies for our staff, and much more as we worked to keep care and services for patients going.
It was a chaotic and frightening time, and again, our team members stepped up, staying at the hospital to care for patients while they didn’t know if their own homes were intact.
Next, I am so thankful for our community. If they didn’t entrust their care to us, our reason for being would not exist. We are honored to provide this care, and to support and work with our community through our team members volunteering their time to local nonprofits, participating in health education initiatives at community events, and the hospital providing charitable donations.
The generous community members who graciously volunteer their time here at TRH are also indispensable. They support our team members in countless ways, engage with our patients and make them comfortable, and make TRH a better place overall.
The TRH Board of Directors is a group that I am thankful for as well. Their advocacy, guidance, and understanding of our hospital’s mission and work are invaluable as we navigate our present and look toward our future.
We at TRH are fortunate for the reasons I have noted and many more. I speak for every team member when I say that we are thankful to everyone we serve and value being embedded in this strong and vibrant community.
I hope readers enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday filled with good times, delicious food, and rich memories.
Michele Pilon, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, is the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Nursing Officer of Transylvania Regional Hospital. Her diverse professional experience includes service as a bedside nurse and over a decade as a leader at healthcare institutions in Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. Ms. Pilon earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Ohio’s University of Akron and a Masters in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis in Illinois; she is also a Boa.