Bright Futures

In honor of Doctors’ Day, Phoenix Children’s Physician in Chief Dr. Jared T. Muenzer shares his appreciation for the resiliency and dedication shown by clinicians one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

The past year brought profound change for our profession as well as unexpected health care hurdles for our patients, their families and our system. Despite the uncertainty we faced, and the constant need to adapt to the ever-changing environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, we rose to the challenge. I’m incredibly proud of Phoenix Children’s doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners for their resilience this year.

A year unlike any other

Whether you are just now embarking on a career in medicine or have been treating patients for decades, all of us as clinicians experienced challenges this year to the way we provide care. I was proud, but not surprised, to see how quickly Phoenix Children’s providers were able to pivot.

So many aspects of the way we practiced medicine this year changed in ways we couldn’t have predicted. One of the largest adjustments was our providers need to quickly learn the ins and outs of our custom-built telehealth platform and to diagnose and treat a significant number of patients virtually.

From March to December, we completed more than 105,000 virtual visits – a significant increase from years prior.  We asked you to reimagine surgery schedules from a new perspective, including accounting for things like negative COVID-testing, and you delivered. And you continued to look ahead at improving outcomes and care through research with more than 300 peer-reviewed publications.

We also strengthened our deep roster of pediatric experts across many specialties, welcoming 58 physicians and 24 advanced practice providers to Phoenix Children’s.

Despite everything that was delayed or put on hold due to the pandemic, the work didn’t stop.

Pride in our work

Here’s the story these numbers don’t tell — the courage you all showed day in and day out that never wavered. Outside of Phoenix Children’s, we all dealt with the pandemic in our personal lives – our own families experienced illnesses, many of us lost loved ones, and some of us fell ill as well.

Through it all, we came together to support one another, and we continued to provide every patient and every family with the amazing, family-centered care they have come to expect from Phoenix Children’s.

Throughout the past year, I was continually impressed by the high levels of collaboration shown by our clinicians in treating incredibly complex cases of COVID-19 and MIS-C. Diagnosing and treating new diseases requires education, collaboration and creativity.

Something that was evident throughout the Phoenix Children’s health system was the commitment shown by our providers to band together and move as one unit in the same direction toward innovative and accessible care.

Thank you

While we set aside time today to recognize providers, I’m grateful every day for the hard work, dedication and care of each and every one of you at Phoenix Children’s. I have been incredibly proud to work alongside you in what has undoubtedly been the most challenging year of our careers, and I look forward to partnering with each one of you as we continue to serve even more families in our community.

With deep appreciation,

Jared T. Muenzer, MD, MBA