Keith Urban\u2019s surprise appearance at the annual \u201cIt\u2019s A Bloke Thing\u201d luncheon in Toowoomba brought significant attention to the event. The country music star, who is deeply committed to prostate cancer awareness, performed at Wellcamp Airport for an audience of around 500 guests during the Prostate Cancer Awareness\/Fundraiser event.<\/p>\n
Urban\u2019s dedication to the cause is deeply personal. His father, Robert, passed away from prostate cancer in December 2015, and other family members have also battled the disease. As the article notes, \u201cHe was powerless to cure his father of the illness,\u201d underscoring Urban\u2019s emotional connection to the cause.<\/p>\n
Even though he is currently on his Graffiti-U World Tour, performing across the United States, Urban made time to return to Australia for the fundraiser. This event has raised millions of dollars for prostate cancer research and awareness in just seven years. Last year alone, the event generated almost $1.53 million.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s luncheon was even more successful, raising an astounding $2,024,000. Urban\u2019s participation was a major highlight, especially since he volunteered his time and did not charge for his performance. The event continues to be one of Australia\u2019s most successful daytime fundraising initiatives, significantly contributing to the fight against prostate cancer.<\/p>\n
he world\u2019s hospitals have been the front line in medicine\u2019s constantly evolving war against COVID-19 for two years now. According to the experts who helped guide the results of our annual ranking of the World\u2019s Best Hospitals, that has meant learning to adapt to new and existing challenges quickly and improvising on the fly.<\/p>\n
For instance, according to\u00a0Dr. Gary S. Kaplan<\/a>, former CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and current senior vice president of CommonSpirit Health, \u201cThe pandemic has exacerbated a worldwide healthcare staffing shortage, especially in nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n David Bates<\/a>, chief of general internal medicine and primary care at Boston\u2019s Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital (No. 17 on\u00a0Newsweek\u2019s\u00a0<\/em>Best Hospitals Global Leaders list) says, \u201cWe had to very rapidly convert beds to ICU beds, and close large sections of the hospital, then come up with staff to cover those beds. There were also great challenges with managing our supply chain for things like ventilators and personal protective equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Christoph Meier<\/a>, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine at University Hospital Zurich (No. 15 on our Global Leaders list) says, \u201cMany lessons could be learned from COVID, such as recognizing the efficacy of virtual meetings, valuing the importance of hospital hygiene and emphasizing the importance of generalists over siloed specialization. The biggest challenge was the joint setting of individual priorities for a common goal.\u201d<\/p>\n Many medical institutions struggled with these and other challenges over the course of the pandemic but what has set the world\u2019s leading hospitals apart is their continued ability to deliver the highest-quality patient care and conduct critical medical research even as they focused on battling COVID. Indeed, as the fourth annual ranking of the World\u2019s Best Hospitals by\u00a0Newsweek\u00a0<\/em>and Statista shows, consistency in excellence is the hallmark of these institutions, with familiar names dominating the list and top spots.<\/p>\n The hospitals that have fared best during the pandemic are those that have learned to work faster by communicating better and breaking down internal silos, according to\u00a0Dr. Gregory Katz<\/a>, professor of Innovation & Value in Health at the University of Paris School of Medicine: \u201cA critical facilitator of velocity is broad participation from hospital teams. If there is one thing we take away from our fight against COVID-19, it\u2019s the value of preparation. For hospital leaders, it\u2019s all about choice, not chance.\u201d<\/p>\n