Tuesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a day to honor our veterans for their service to our country.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, to mark the end of World War I. It later became a legal holiday to honor World War I veterans. By 1954, after World War II and the Korean War, the name “Armistice” was replaced with “Veterans” and the holiday expanded to honor American veterans of all wars.

As history unfolds and we face the future, the service and sacrifices of our veterans remains timeless.

The Giles team at Family & Community Medicine had a great time celebrating Army Captain Stephanie Thompson! We are grateful for her military service and for all she does as a clinician in the Giles practice. 

Please join us in congratulating Officer J.E. St. Clair, Officer J.A. Sawicki and Officer D.K. Blankenship on their successful graduation from the Cardinal Criminal Justice Academy.

This achievement marks a significant milestone in their law enforcement careers and reflects their hard work, dedication, and commitment to serving our community with professionalism and integrity.

We are proud to welcome them to our police force and look forward to the positive impact they will make within our department and across the communities we serve.

Well done, Officers! 

On October 15, the courts at Carilion Wellness – Starkey Road were buzzing with energy as more than 30 employees came together for our first-ever Wellness at Work Pickleball Tournament! 

From dinks to volleys, the competition was fierce but friendly. It was a fantastic way to promote wellness, teamwork, and a little healthy rivalry.

Congratulations to all who competed!

Special thanks to Youssef Bazidi, who worked hard to make this event a smashing success!

Champions:

Beware!  Cyber Villians are always ready to strike, but never fear!  National Cyber Security Awareness Month is here!

Congratulations to Natasha Davis, Administrative Assistant at CCMOB Rheumatology, for winning our 3rd quarter phish reporting campaign. Each quarter, the Information Security Team randomly selects someone who reported a phishing email using the "Report Phish" button in Outlook to receive a $25 gift card of their choice. Reporting suspicious emails helps us block phishing attempts and enters you for a chance to win! Thanks to all our reporters for having the Courage to report suspicious emails.

Kudos to Kortney Callahan, CVI OR RN, for providing life saving measures for her patient! Kortney was the OR circulator for her patient's OR case and had gone to Preop to transport her patient to the CVI OR when a Rapid Response was called on this patient. She provided life saving measures while waiting for the Rapid Response team to arrive and stayed and assisted until the patient was transported safely to the unit!! Thank you Kortney for being a great patient advocate!

This week, in recognition of Sepsis Awareness Month, members of our Quality and Patient Safety Team visited the Labor and Delivery Unit and the Mother Baby Unit at CRMH to conduct OB-specific Sepsis rounding—and what an incredible experience it was! We are proud to celebrate the participation, thoughtful engagement, and unwavering dedication of the staff on both units. 

While attending a local football game, Iona Holland, RN and Operations Manager on 8W, witnessed a man collapse nearby. Without hesitation, she immediately responded, initiated CPR, and called for emergency assistance. First responders arrived promptly and transported the individual to a nearby hospital, where he ultimately survived. Iona’s swift action and clinical expertise played a critical role in the lifesaving response.

We want to recognize Amelia Witter, Certified Athletic Trainer, for her courageous and swift response during a medical emergency at Glenvar High School. After a football game, a parent collapsed, and Amelia immediately jumped into action—initiating CPR and administering a life-saving shock with her AED. Thanks to her quick and decisive care, the parent’s vitals returned, and EMS was able to transport them to the hospital for further treatment.