Tim Cunningham
June 2020
Tim
Cunningham
,
RN, DrPH, RAAN
Vice President Practice and Innovation
Emory Healthcare
Tucker
,
GA
United States

 

 

 

During the COVID- 19 pandemic, many nurses, supportive personnel, and leaders have gone above and beyond to ensure the safe delivery of care and employee safety measures. However, from the beginning, Tim's positivity of his "can do it" attitude, as well as the hands-on approach, made a significant impact on the staff, patients, and overall organization. This impact affected me as a nurse, personally. Tim's kindness toward others was indeed apparent as we all had unanswered questions.
Having one of the first PUI patients in our organization and the staff was scared, overwhelmed, and looking for solutions and leadership. Tim acted quickly, and together with many, helped the nursing educators teach PPE to open the COVID-19 cohort units, this meant mobilization at many levels, from supplies to the workforce. Having the foresight to understand what was coming, what was needed, how to help the newly appointed COVID-19 health providers feel supported while reassuring them as best as he could, made a big difference. Tim's calming presence and outstanding leadership skills allowed the nurses to feel safe, have resources readily available, and reassured us that what we were practicing we were already doing every day.
Tim's steadfast leadership showed us that we are all in this together. Tim touched base with us daily, mentored his leadership team, and provided safety like a well-oiled machine. Tim was always smiling and upbeat, even though I completely understand that he must have been exhausted due to his other responsibilities of a VP of Nursing. Tim often informed us that we were never alone and that our concerns were heard at the administration level. Tim stands out as a source of strength, kindness, thoughtfulness, safety, quality, and reassurance not only during the COVID crisis but every day as he leads our organization. We could ask for a better leader.