Luis Chanaga Letters

Dear Healthcare Colleague, This time of year, right before Thanksgiving the weather begins to get cool and will dip to freezing once in a while as the cold fronts begin to find their way in. Before the weather gets too cold, I ventured out on a hike. The trail was blanketed with brown, red and orange hues from the leaves that had lost their grip of their branch. The crisp cool weather made the sun feel more like a picture than an actual heat source. As I walked through the arching fall colored trees, the sense that the fall season was in full display was evident. I have heard many times how seasons change so rapidly. It seems that summer had just started days ago or for that matter, spring and last winter too. Still, here we are right at the Thanksgiving time of year. What are you grateful for? Has someone shared with you that they are grateful for you or for the work that you are doing? We are part of an industry in which we spend our most valuable resources (skills and time) to hel...

Dear Healthcare Colleague, It has been more than two centuries and four decades since the Declaration of Independence was signed signaling the end of a war and announcing the birth of our country. With all that is going on in the world, I am thankful that we live a country that encourages the pursuit of peace, happiness and liberty which our founding leaders established. Thomas Jefferson drew the first draft of the Declaration of Independence before it was submitted to a committee for review. A very memorable section from the final document is: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”   What struck me about this preamble portion is how it mirrors the mission and purpose to many healthcare  organizations. All people are created equal and we treat anyone in need within our industry of providing health. Our pati...