Congratulations to Vicki Sakata, MD: Guardian of Emergency Medicine
NWHRN’s senior medical advisor, Vicki Sakata, MD, was honored in 2021 by the Washington Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians as a “Guardian of Emergency Medicine.”
Vicki has done extraordinary work during the COVID response. She has spearheaded some of the hardest clinical conversations our caregivers have had to face; she has tracked medical advances in treatment; she has helped define and share best COVID care practices; she’s provided care to patients locally and on NDMS deployment in other states during this pandemic. She has also maintained that high level of professionalism, cheer and hope that make ER docs so special.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Sakata’s selection as this year’s Guardian of Emergency Medicine. Thank you for all your leadership through this time, and thank you, WA-ACEP for recognizing her work.
Read more on the WA-ACEP webpage.
Friends of WSHA COVID Awards
The Northwest Healthcare Response Network was honored by the Washington State Hospital Association during their fall 2020 Annual Meeting. WSHA paused to recognize people and organizations who were responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and NWHRN was specifically held up for the work to coordinate patient movement and meet PPE needs.
“These award recipients were literally life savers,” WSHA President and CEO Cassie Sauer said. “It was pretty frightening when the first cases of community transmission were reported in Washington, but our health care community immediately mobilized. It was this quick and coordinated response that ensured our hospitals were never overwhelmed and that no patient was turned away. We owe a debt of gratitude to all these leaders for their tireless work.”
“At the end of the day, the story of the COVID-19 response is going to be one about working together to meet the needs of patients and communities,” said Onora Lien, NWHRN Executive Director. “We deeply appreciate being recognized by WSHA for our role, and are grateful for their partnership during the response.”