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With 4646 blog posts dating back to August 2006, it's time to end this adventure. After over 9-1/2 years of almost daily output, I will cease adding new posts to this blog.

Why? The main reason is that it is simply time to move on to other pursuits. The time and effort spent conceiving, researching, writing, and editing articles has pushed off other projects that I've had in mind for several years. I'd like to focus on those.

I'm deeply appreciative of my loyal and engaged readers.  They commented directly on the blog over 22 thousand times, and many have also sent private emails with their observations.  The readers have been polite, respectful, attentive, and thoughtful, and I cherish the time we've spent together.

I'm also grateful to members of the Fourth Estate with whom I have corresponded on many of the topics covered here.  Sometimes we have sourced one another, sometimes we have collaborated, and sometimes we have offered mutual support in the face of harsh criticism from the subjects of our articles.  I've generally found that the business pressures faced by the media have not eroded the diligence of reporters in this field, and their commitment to the First Amendment is powerful and lasting.

As to those in the health care world, as I said in my first blog post:

I have never worked in a place where people are so consistently caring and devoted to alleviating human suffering caused by disease. It is, in many ways, a beautiful place to work. But many of the forces facing hospitals, doctors, nurses, and others make it really hard to do the job well.

That dedication persists, but the corporatization of the health care world weighs heavily on these well-meaning people.  They need our support and encouragement, and they deserve to be led by leaders who understand the value they bring to society.

Finally, a tribute to those who have mattered the most in making this blog worthwhile, the hundreds of girls I have coached in youth soccer over the course of over two decades.  They've taught me immensely important leadership and teamwork lessons, and I've done my best to impart those lessons to you.

I'll leave the blog up for those who might like to use it as a reference.  A note: Do not use the search box within the blog page.  It is not well supported by Google (even though Blogger is a Google product.)  If you want to search for a topic, conduct a search from the main search engine you prefer on your browser--using "runningahospital [item]"--and you'll be more likely to be successful and get a more complete listing.
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