• Home
  • Advertise With Us
  • Login

KC Our Health Matters

Black Men Speak: Health, Strength and Hope
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Awards & Events
    • Advertise With Us
  • Our Departments
    • Community
    • Cover Story
    • Food & Fitness
    • Online Articles
    • Health
    • Publisher’s Greeting
    • Videos
  • Digital Magazine
    • Digital Magazine
    • Caregivers Resource Guide
  • Subscription
  • Vaccination Update
    • COVID-19
  • Contact Us
You are at :Home»Cover Story»A Reflection on HOPE

A Reflection on HOPE

Cover Story

Melinda L. Estes, MD
President and CEO Saint Luke’s Health System
Chair, American Hospital Association Board of Trustees

It’s easy to see where one might have lost hope in the expansive tragedy that’s been 2020. Too often, the bad news has outweighed the good, leaving us feeling like the window of hope is quickly closing. But that’s simply not true. As a health care professional of more than 40 years, I can assure you there’s always an opening for hope. Because, as clinicians and caregivers, hope is exactly where we live every day.

From heart transplants to stroke reversals to the labor and delivery room, we’ve been part of some of life’s truly miraculous moments. It’s what first called us to this field, and it’s what keeps us still, as heartbreaking as it can be – especially in this battle against COVID-19 and all its ripple effects.

Hope is what drives us every day, through setbacks and obstacles. Through too many patients and not enough beds. Through tragedy and loss, and on to something better that we can build together on the other side.

In times of crisis, we are the helpers people turn to. They come to us at their most vulnerable, in need of compassionate care and healing. And we are there without fail. It’s a responsibility we’re privileged to hold – especially in these times of true crisis—and each of us works unabashedly to be worthy of it.

Now, closing out the year with the promise of a vaccine on the way, my wish is that families can keep that hope with them through the coming winter months. Stay masked, stay home, stay safe. And if we do that, we have tremendous hope for a healthy and happy 2021 to come.

 Melinda L. Estes, MD, is President and CEO of Saint Luke’s Health System in Kansas City, Missouri, a faith-based, not-for-profit that include 18 hospitals and campuses, home care and hospice, behavioral health care, dozens of physician practices, a life care senior living community, and more. Dr. Estes is a board-certified neurologist and neuropathologist, and currently serves as the Chair of the American Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees. She was recently named one of 2020’s 50 Most Influential Clinical Executives by Modern Healthcare.

2020-12-10
Ryan Iguchi
linkedin Facebook Instagram Twitter Pinterest Stumble More
Previous Article :

Real Faith in Action

Next Article :

Servant Leadership — Love, Hope and Mission

Related Articles

Making Sense of Why Some People Experience  Poorer Health Outcomes

Making Sense of Why Some People Experience Poorer Health Outcomes

kcourhealthmatters 30 Apr 2017
12 Years, A Brave Step: Pursuing Health Literacy to Improve Health Outcomes

12 Years, A Brave Step: Pursuing Health Literacy to Improve Health Outcomes

kcourhealthmatters 30 Apr 2017
Unchecked Stress Can Seriously Affect Your Health

Unchecked Stress Can Seriously Affect Your Health

kcourhealthmatters 01 May 2017

Vaccine Updates

Sheffield Place

Mother’s Refuge

Hope Haven of Cass County

Benilde Hall

Popular Articles

Who Cares for the Caregiver?
Health

Who Cares for the Caregiver?

kcourhealthmatters 10 Nov 2017
health matters
Cover Story

The Importance of Regular Eye Exams

kcourhealthmatters 12 Sep 2017
Achieving Goals
Health

Jobs, Education, and Training Support Healthier Lives

kcourhealthmatters 20 Apr 2017
Are Pilates Right for you
Food & Fitness

You’ve Heard of Pilates, But Is it Right for You?

kcourhealthmatters 05 Jul 2017
Five Ways to Make Getting Healthy a Family Affair
Health

Five Ways to Make Getting Healthy a Family Affair

kcourhealthmatters 05 Jul 2017
  • Community
  • Food & Fitness
  • Health
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap

KC Our Health Matters
Since Our Health Matters™ launched in 2005, we have provided readers with insight into how to live healthier lives.

Recent Posts

  • Black Men Speak: Health, Strength and Hope

    Black Men Speak: Health, Strength and Hope

    18 Nov 2022
  • GET THE FACTS ABOUT LONG-TERM & SHORT-TERM SKILLED CARE

    GET THE FACTS ABOUT LONG-TERM & SHORT-TERM SKILLED CARE

    11 Oct 2022
  • Aging Changes Our Bones

    Aging Changes Our Bones

    11 Oct 2022

Subscribe Now

    Copyright 2021, All Rights Reserved - KC Our Health Matters