Issue link: https://blog.providence.org/i/1482620
Health Matters: Providence Mission Hospital | 3 Health Care Is Personal Selecting the right health plan during open enrollment is important, but it can be overwhelming. You want affordable, high‐quality care for yourself and your loved ones. You want to feel confident that when you need care, you'll get the best there is. When you select a health plan that includes Providence, you'll have access to the best physicians from the largest, most comprehensive health care network in Southern California. Before you choose a plan, make sure Providence is in the network. At Providence, you'll receive: • Convenient care close to work and home • An extensive network of specialists to meet all your health care needs • In-person and virtual visits • After‐hours care through our nurse advice line, urgent care or ExpressCare • Providence app for connected care Call 855-967-6026 to learn more or visit us online at providence.org/open-enrollment. With Gratitude Serving others and giving thanks for the privilege. As we approach the holiday season, we asked Austine Duru, chief Mission integration officer at Providence Mission Hospital, to share some thoughts about one of our most cherished values: gratitude. "Thanksgiving is one of the special seasons of the year when we are encouraged to experience the power of gratitude. It is an opportunity for a mutual exchange of the gift of gratefulness. The German Franciscan friar David Steindl-Rast talks about gratitude as the foundation of joy. There has been a lot of study in positive psychology about gratitude and why it is so important. We learn that those who practice grateful living often approach life from a stance of abundance. The recognition that, for the most part, our tables are full inspires us to be grateful, more altruistic and open to reaching out to help others. At Providence Mission Hospital, gratitude is at the core of our Mission to be expressions of God's healing love, witnessed through the ministry of Jesus, steadfast in serving all, especially those who are poor and vulnerable. We recognize that our work is truly a privilege. Our patients have a choice to go elsewhere; we are grateful they choose to come to us. That gives us an opportunity to extend compassion, hope and healing. Hence, each encounter with a patient or family is a sacred encounter. Steindl-Rast talks about three things we can each do daily to practice grateful living: stop, look and go. Take a moment to pause to appreciate your blessings and gifts. Look around you, acknowledge and identify opportunities to express gratitude—and then go make it happen. Gratitude always leads to action. This Thanksgiving season, you can begin to look for opportunities to extend gratitude toward others and act in ways that may make someone's life "just a little better." Austine Duru