Ascension St. Vincent’s Health Center St. Johns celebrated its two-year anniversary by planting a pansy tree in a grassy area near the hospital’s emergency room entrance.
The planting of the tree was part of a ceremony that included a ribbon-cutting by hospital staff while other members of the various departments stood nearby to witness the moment.
“The first year was exciting and we really found a groove and the second seemed like we’ve really started to develop our culture,” Ascension St. Vincent’s Health Center St. Johns CEO Cory Darling said.
Some of the statistics the hospital saw during its second year included emergency room admittance up 30% and the hospital receiving a 74% favorability rate, which is among the highest of other area Ascensions.
Surgeries performed by the hospital in the past year have grown 157%.
“It really shows the atmosphere we’re striving to create here,” Darling said.
Chief Nursing Officer Sean McAfee joined Darling in looking ahead to what he believes has the makings for another exciting year to come.
“Our third year is going to have some lofty goals,” McAfee said. “That will require the leadership in place, which we feel we have access to the best.”
Darling pointed to the relentless hard work of the staff at the hospital and thanked those in attendance for helping pass along and achieve their goals to their patients of not just treating them but making it the most calming and effective experience for them.
“It takes working together with each other and for each other,” Darling said. “We have to remember why we are here, and it is for a higher calling. People come through those doors, and they should see the world as it ought to be and not how it is.”
The Pansy tree will have purple leaves once in full bloom, which is also the primary color of Ascension, which in the past was often associated with royalty and spirituality.
Just as the hospital grows in the number of years it is around and the number of people it will serve, so will the tree, which can grow up to 30 feet tall and will be quite the sight one day standing in the shadow of the hospital.
“The tree is a fitting sign for the hospital and will be a symbol of the service we provide,” McAfee said.
