While advanced technology and modern facilities are crucial to the delivery of high quality medical care, it is the extraordinary dedication of doctors, employees, and volunteers working together to meet a patient’s needs that is the backbone of an ideal healthcare environment. In honor of the commitment that everyone at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital provides to the Santa Clarita Valley, Henry Mayo joined hospitals across the nation in celebration of National Hospital Day.

“While the medical and nursing staff members are essential to providing excellent patient care, there are also many more people behind the scenes that ensure Henry Mayo fulfills its mission to our community,” said Roger Seaver, president and CEO of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. “NationalHospital Day gives us an opportunity to recognize the contributions of all our healthcare workers and celebrate the great things happening at Henry Mayo.”

During National Hospital Day celebrations, Henry Mayo employees, physicians, and volunteers were treated to an employee picnic with hotdogs, games, DJ, and appreciation gifts.

This year's theme "A Healthy Commitment in Changing Times" acknowledges that hospitals, even in time of economic crisis and change, put patients first. 

“Change is inevitable, but the commitment of our people to give the very best for our patients is evident every day,” stated Seaver. “From the engineering department to the admitting clerk to the surgeon to the volunteer who hands out magazines, we have an outstanding group of people who really care about our patients.”

NationalHospital Day dates back more than 80 years ago when it was suggested by a magazine editor who hoped a community-wide celebration would alleviate public fears about hospitals and provide a more accurate view of the work inside healthcare facilities. The idea caught on and is now one of the nation’s largest annual healthcare events. The first celebration, on May 12, 1921, coincided with Florence Nightingale’s birthday.