May Events and Observances

As we look at calendars for the month of May, you may agree that May is typically a very busy month. In addition to observances like Mother’s Day and Memorial Day, there are graduations and end-of-school celebrations for many students and families.

In healthcare there are a number of observance weeks for specialized professionals throughout the year. This month we are recognizing several groups of healthcare professionals, beginning with National Nurses Week, which is observed May 6-12 every year. The week provides an opportunity for our member organizations to say “thank you” to our nurses who provide compassionate patient care, clinical expertise and leadership throughout Covenant Health.  

We look forward to celebrating all Covenant Health employees during National Hospital Week, May 12-18. That observance week coincides with National Skilled Nursing Care Week, which recognizes the skilled caregivers who serve patients in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Covenant Health has two long-term care facilities that are nationally recognized for excellence: Fort Sanders Sevier Nursing Home, which is affiliated with LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville, and Claiborne Health and Rehabilitation Center at Claiborne Medical Center in Tazewell.    

In addition, May brings National EMS Week, May 19-25, which recognizes the emergency medical service providers who are our essential partners in delivering rapid emergency care to patients.

As I reflect on these observance weeks, it reminds me that excellent healthcare is a collaborative effort, a “team sport.” It takes teams of people who have a wide range of professional skills and who are united in their vision and purpose. At Covenant Health, we summarize this collaborative purpose in our Pledge of Excellence: our patients always come first, excellence in everything we do, and working together to make Covenant Health the first and best choice in our communities.  

To all of our nurses, health system employees, skilled nursing care professionals, and our EMS providers and first responders, my thanks and gratitude for the dedicated service you give to our patients and to Covenant Health every day.

I also want to say a word of congratulations to students who are graduating this month from healthcare programs at area community colleges, universities and medical schools. These graduates are the future of healthcare, and we will be pleased to welcome many of them as new employees of our Covenant Health family in the months ahead. To the graduates, as you take the next steps in your life’s journey, I encourage and challenge each of you to make a positive difference and to make our world a better place.   

We have two additional May celebrations: This month we announced the renovation of a transitional apartment at the Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center, and extend our thanks to Clayton Homes and Fort Sanders Foundation for their financial support of the project. The apartment gives rehabilitation patients an opportunity to practice skills of everyday living before they return to a home setting.

And we congratulate Cumberland Medical Center in Crossville on its fifth anniversary as a member of Covenant Health. We’re pleased to have the hospital and its employees as part of our health system and appreciate their service to patients and residents of the Cumberland Plateau. Like all our member organizations, Cumberland Medical Center plays a vital role in Covenant Health’s mission to improve the region’s quality of life through better health.

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