2016: Health System Headlines Year in Review

It’s the holiday season, a perfect time to reflect on the past year at UMHS.

2016 will be remembered for many things. It was the year we got more inclusive, with a new campus-wide initiative aimed at making the U-M and UMHS community more equitable and diverse. It was a year we got bigger, with services expanded to the residents of west Michigan thanks to a new partnership with Metro Health. And it was a year we got better, thanks in part to our ongoing efforts to become Magnet-certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

For us, 2016 was also a year of sweet treats thanks to an ice cream social, even sweeter music thanks to one dedicated (and talented!) colleague, and the year UMHS officially went to the dogs — in the best possible way!

Here’s a look at the top stories of the year. And while Headlines will be on a hiatus next week, the entire Headlines team wishes you a happy and safe holiday season!

Survival Flight nurse thrives by taking it one step at a time

It wasn’t always a smooth ride for Gina Russell on her way to joining the Survival Flight team. Learn Gina’s inspirational story in this November profile of a colleague who wouldn’t let anything — including a serious car accident — stop her from delivering critical care to our patients.

President Schlissel lays out initiatives for U-M to tackle societal problems 

On Oct. 5, President Mark Schlissel laid out several university initiatives that target issues ranging from poverty to academic innovation, sustainability to diversity. Check out the president’s thoughts, as they were delivered at the annual Leadership Breakfast. The next day, U-M unveiled a five-year strategic plan for making the community more diverse, equitable and inclusive and announced Rob Sellers as the university’s first chief diversity officer. More details can be found here.

CVC’s ‘piano man’ has patients feeling all right

Whenever our patients or colleagues were in the mood for a melody, CVC’s “piano man” was there. Click here to read — and watch — the story of Errick Thomas, a patient services associate who spent his lunch breaks performing original music.

Thank you for a wonderful Magnet site visit

Recently, appraisers from the American Nurses Credentialing Center completed a site visit to UMHS, the culmination of multi-year journey to achieve Magnet status. Find out more about Magnet, the highest honor in nursing, and the UMHS journey to achieve it.

Forbes’ $17.5 million gift to stimulate cancer research

A transformative donation to the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center was designed to accelerate the implementation of innovative technology and cancer therapies. Learn more about the June gift from Madeline and Sidney Forbes and the newly-created Forbes Institute for Cancer Discovery.

Raise the ruff! Hospital dogs join UMHS

During the dog days of summer, Headlines profiled Denver and Anna — two furry friends who joined UMHS as full-time hospital dogs. Click here to see how the two of them cheered up patients across the health system!

Transplant patient on his caregivers: ‘I think about them all the time’

Every member of the UMHS team played an integral role in Nelson Thulin’s recovery from a health scare. Check out an October profile of this liver transplant patient who said his recovery would not have been possible without the support he received from “the doctors, the nurses, patient transport people, everybody” at UMHS.

UMHS welcomes Metro Health to U-M

In December, UMHS and Metro Health Corporation joined forces to build upon the strength of the U-M academic medical center and a very successful community-based health system. Find out what made this affiliation so important to patients and communities across the state.

All in the family: Three generations of nurses at UMHS

Becoming a nurse was natural for Madonna and Maria Perkins. After all, it runs in their family! Read the August story of this amazing “U-M family,” made up of three generations of UMHS nurses.

Life is sweet: Annual ice cream social and Researchpalooza a success!

Working at UMHS is always sweet, but that was especially the case on Aug. 30 during the annual ice cream social and Researchpalooza event. The event celebrated organizational accomplishments and our everyday superheroes — you! Click here to see photos and a recap of that sweet day.