Nebraska Health System (NHS) and the University of Nebraska Medical
Center (UNMC) will mark the first anniversary of the September 11th attacks
on America with a special remembrance ceremony.
We know many of our employees want to remember the day, said
Deb Tomek, Vice President of NHS Human Resources. The NHS and UNMC
ceremony will be held on Sept. 11 at 8:30 a.m. in the Swanson Hall Courtyard,
which is just west of the Durham Outpatient Center. Employees dressed
in red, white and blue will be joined by the Benson High School Color Guard,
which will present the American flag at 8:35 a.m. Brief comments
will be delivered by NHS President & CEO Glenn Fosdick and UNMC Chancellor
Harold M. Maurer, M.D. followed by a moment of silence and the song
Amazing Grace, which will be played by a lone bagpiper.
NHS chaplains and the hospital chapel will stay open for employees who
cannot attend the service but want to remember the day. Some employees
will be unable to attend the service and we wanted everyone to be able
to participate in some way if they wish, Tomek said. Wearing
red, white and blue is one way to join the tribute.
The horror of 9/11 remains fresh in the memories of most Americans.
When I saw the building collapse, I knew that things would never be the
same in our country and the world, said Robert Muelleman, M.D., UNMC professor
of surgery and chief of NHS Emergency Services. I wondered how my
colleagues in emergency medicine were handling the situation.
Dr. Muelleman pointed out that before 9/11, disaster preparedness did
not interest many people outside of emergency medicine, largely because
people thought it would never happen.
Since 9/11, there has been an increased interest and support in this
public health effort. I think NHS and UNMC have taken a leadership
role, locally and nationally, to be sure that we are as prepared as possible
to deal with the next disaster, Dr. Muelleman said.
A physical therapist at NHS recalls that all of her patients showed
up for their appointments on 9/11 despite the disaster. Therapy
would consist of their exercises combined with lots of talking and sharing,
she said. The trend of combined physical and talk therapy continued
for many months as patients shared their stories.
That kind of talk therapy continues even now as America remembers
a day when acts of terrorism spawned acts of heroism. The remembrance
ceremony will be open to the media.