A Safe & Efficient 4th of July in Healthcare

As we are gearing up for the 4^th of July holiday, we want to pause and take note to the healthcare heroes out there. Next week, many will take time off of work or leave a bit early. Then the long weekend begins and fireworks start to light up the sky while families and friends gather to celebrate.

But in healthcare, many professionals are preparing for something different: packed ERs, staffing challenges and the kind of behind-the-scenes coordination that keeps things running while the rest of the country celebrates.

Before the holiday kicks off, we want to pause and say thank you to every nurse, tech and surgical team member who’ll be working through the red, white, and blue week and weekend.

Let’s take a moment to salute our healthcare teams working through one of the busiest (and most injury-prone) holidays of the year.

July 4th Means a Surge in Emergencies

• Every year, more than 45,000 people visit U.S. emergency rooms due to holiday-related injuries on July 4th and July 5th. According to Pew Research Center, this is nearly double the daily average for summertime injuries.
• Last year, Time Magazine reported there were 9,700 fireworks-related injuries were recorded, with 800 caused by firecrackers and 700 by sparklers. Burns made up 42% of those cases.
• On average, 280 people end up in the ER every day during the month of July from fireworks-related injuries.

These are more than just numbers. They are serious and urgent. They are late nights, full trauma bays and tireless nurses and doctors who keep care on track amid the chaos.

A Simple Thank You

To every ER staffer, OR nurse, radiology technician, admin lead, and on-call physician: thank you. This 4th of July, while others relax, you’re maintaining order when our systems face their greatest tests.

Healthcare Hero Roll Call

Here’s a special shout-out to you! We see you:

• Nurses: the heart of the hospital, holding it all together shift after shift
• Surgeons and OR teams: ready for anything, from firework injuries to urgent cases
• Sterile processing techs: keeping surgical tools safe and ready, even at midnight
• Emergency medicine teams: the unexpected with calm under pressure
• Hospitalists and intensivists: monitoring the most vulnerable around the clock
• Unit clerks and administrators: fielding calls and keeping the system flowing
• EVS & support staff: cleaning, prepping, turning over rooms without missing a beat
• Supply chain and inventory teams: making sure nothing runs out when it matters most
• Schedulers, transporters & dispatchers: the quiet glue that keeps care moving
• Case managers and discharge planners: balancing safety, care and outcomes
• Security and facilities crews: protecting people and spaces so care can happen

Return to Routine Refreshed

Once the fireworks fade and the summer holiday wraps up, we hope you return rested, recognized, and ready to reclaim every minute of efficiency that’s yours.

Whether you’re working, resting or enjoying a (safe) sparkler, thank you for making healthcare better, every single day.

Here's to freedom, fireworks, and fewer first-case delays!

Enjoy a safe, meaningful Independence Day. And to all our healthcare heroes working tirelessly today and every day:

We salute you!

Happy (early) Independence Day.  And thank you for keeping care moving forward.

From your friends at Surgical Solutions.