WHEREAS, public health is critical to sustaining and improving the Commonwealth; and

WHEREAS, a hallmark of Virginia’s public health network is the extensive collaboration among its hospitals and health systems and with external partners and stakeholders to advance community health and well-being; and

WHEREAS, frontline caregivers in hospitals and health systems throughout the Commonwealth demonstrate remarkable resilience as they tirelessly and selflessly care for patients and safeguard community health amid workforce challenges and increased demand for behavioral health services; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Hospital Week celebrates men and women who improve the health of their communities by delivering compassionate patient care; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s hospitals accommodate more than 4.4 million patient days, handle more than 765,000 inpatient admissions, receive more than 3.4 million emergency department visits, and deliver more than 86,000 babies; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s hospitals, on an annual basis, accommodate more than 55,000 voluntary and involuntary behavioral health admissions to provide for the mental health care needs of patients; and

WHEREAS, Virginia hospitals are leaders in population health and work to address social determinants of health, combat rising maternal mortality rates, invest in community violence reduction efforts, and make health data more accessible; and

WHEREAS, Virginia hospitals have partnered with the Commonwealth to fund Medicaid expansion costs, enabling hundreds of thousands of low-income Virginians to access quality health care coverage since 2019; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s hospitals provided more than $3.7 billion in community benefits and other types of support to the Commonwealth in 2023; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s 111 hospitals employ more than 140,700 individuals, generate $62 billion in positive state economic activity, and rank as a top five employer in many Virginia communities; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s hospitals provide quality care to patients, education to future health care professionals, and community leadership; and

WHEREAS, Virginia Hospital Week is an opportunity to thank all the dedicated individuals within our hospitals and health systems for their many outstanding contributions;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 11-17, 2025, as VIRGINIA HOSPITAL WEEK in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.