Page 13 - Eskenazi Health Foundation - 2021 Annual Report

were able to make it through the longest months of the pandemic with so much drive. His answer was a thesis for the entire interview.
“While many initially thought the pandemic would be akin to a tidal wave, what we really got was a hurricane. Every storm has waves, but these waves wouldn’t stop. In some ways, we still aren’t sure
if the hurricane is over. Eskenazi Health has, however, learned how to steer the ship. When you’re feeling off balance, you have to focus on something steady and sure. You have to keep your eyes on the lighthouse.”
Keep your eyes on the lighthouse. Even in the darkest times, light exists. In the most tumultuous storms, rest is near. The lighthouse can take many forms for many people. For Dr. Carlos, it takes three: faith, family, and friends.
“My faith and my family have been my main sources of balance. I lean on my faith and I see my family whenever I’m able. Whenever I worked late helping COVID patients, my kids would stay up late so we could eat together. I would spend every moment away from work with my family.”
When he’s not with his family, he is with his Eskenazi Health family. Even so, he spoke on how those two groups merged.
“Family is based on trust. It’s more than just blood. As a concept, family is about a group of people bonded by a commonality and choosing to support each other in their respective paths. In this sense, my colleagues are family. We are going through
“When you’re feeling off balance, you have to focus on something steady and sure. You have to keep your eyes on the lighthouse.”
“We are going through this experience together. We rely on each other, not only to do our jobs, but to keep our spirits lifted. To give each other hope.”
this experience together. We rely on each other, not only to do our jobs, but to keep our spirits lifted.
To give each other hope.”
He did have a lot to say about the lower hospitalization rates due to COVID-19. He praised the wonderful staff at Eskenazi Health for their dedicated work.
“Eskenazi Health’s mission is to take care of a population. We are here for our community. One way Eskenazi Health can be there for our community is to be there for our staff. Our leadership has done admirably at combating the effects of burnout by providing an environment of vocationship. A job and a vocation are very different things. When
you have a job, you do your work. When you’re
in a vocation, you have a mission. You feel as if you’re serving a purpose. When you feel like a cog in a machine, you’re more likely to leave. Eskenazi Health retains people by making sure everyone knows the mission. They give everyone a sense of purpose.”
Dr. Carlos says that part of the job is to be an inspiration. These past few years, the world has come to be inspired by the commitment and compassion of health care workers worldwide. Through the initial shock, in the middle of the storm, and in the relative calm, each doctor, nurse, first responder, and everyone else has given everything they have to make sure each and every person sees the light through the hurricane. We’re eternally grateful for everything they do and stand together in the hope that we can see this through.
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