WBUR Oral History Project: Maureen Banks

Banks, Maureen (Interviewee)

O'Brien, Joanna Shea (Interviewer)
Guberman, Jayne (Recordist)
McDonough, Ryan (Contributor)

English

February 02, 2014

Sound recording

Interviews
Oral histories (document genres)

Sound Recording

born digital

Countless lives were affected by the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and their aftermath. The WBUR Oral History Project collects stories from individuals whose lives were immediately and irrevocably changed by these events. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of WBUR, our team of oral historians, and the participation of these interview subjects, Our Marathon has tried to ensure that these stories are not forgotten. We believe that these stories matter, and that they demonstrate the ways historical events transform the lives of the people who lived through them. Oral historians Jayne K. Guberman, Ph.D., and Joanna Shea O'Brien conducted the interviews for this project. Oral History Project Manager Kristi Girdharry, Our Marathon Project Co-Director Jim McGrath, and Community Outreach Lead Joanne DeCaro recorded the interviews and provided research assistance and post-interview processing. McGrath and Our Marathon Audio Technician Ryan McDonough provided sound editing and processing for all of the interviews and clips. The opinions and statements expressed in interviews and related content featured in the WBUR Oral History Project do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Our Marathon, WBUR, Northeastern University, or any employees or volunteers affiliated with these institutions and projects. Our Marathon and The WBUR Oral History project make no assertions about the veracity of statements made by participants in this project. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital played a critical role in the rehabilitation of many of the most seriously injured survivors of the bombings, including 15 amputees (two of whom were double amputees). They managed the opening of their new facility in the Boston Navy Yard just days after the bombings with the admission and care for dozens of patients and intense media attention, both of which continued for several months. Many of their staff were personally affected as they were runners on the Spaulding marathon charity team or were waiting near the finish line to support the team and witnessed the bombings. Our Marathon's WBUR Oral History Project sought to collect a cross-section of interviews from Spaulding staff to chronicle how the rehabilitative care of marathon bombing survivors was an integral part of the city's response to violence and mass trauma. Maureen Banks (RN, MS, MBA, CNAA) is the Chief Operating Officer of Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and the President of Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Medical Care North Shore and Cambridge President of Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod. She grew up in Brighton, Massachusetts in a second generation large Irish Catholic family. She received a nursing degree from Boston College, a Master's Degree from the University of Connecticut and an MBA and an advanced certificate in health administration from Southern New Hampshire University. She has taught in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs throughout her career, and is currently a part time faculty at the MGH Institute of Health Professions. As a nurse, Ms. Banks' clinical focus has been oncology and hospice care. Prior to the Fall of 2012, Maureen Banks had never run in her life. She grew up on the marathon route, and reflects on the marathon's evolution during her lifetime. She was inspired by the elite runners, the women runners and the wheelchair athletes, but never considered the marathon as something she could do. With the urging of Spaulding Rehab Network President David Storto, an avid marathoner and runner for the Spaulding Race for Rehab marathon fundraising team, she began training. She comically and emotionally describes how much she disliked running, never got a "runner's high" and yet persevered on towards race day. She describes the days leading up to the 2013 marathon, the marathon race, and what it was like to be stopped before finishing because of the bombings. Maureen was very emotional talking about completing the ceremonial one mile race a month later, and arriving at the Copley Square memorial to honor those who were injured and lost. Maureen discusses the role of Spaulding, its integrated care approach and the new state of the art facility that opened in April 2013. She shares how Spaulding coped in the weeks immediately after the marathon bombing, including her responsibilities taking care of patients and staff at Spaulding Hospital for Continuing Medical Care in Cambridge during the ensuing weeks. She describes that despite the opening of the new building in Charlestown, what truly distinguishes Spaulding treatment is the staff. Providing rehabilitative care for the patients; Maureen talks about how the new open space gyms, the aquatic facility, and the advanced research in prosthetic care offered by Spaulding have also contributed to far more comprehensive care. During the interview, Maureen reflects on what drew her to nursing and hospice care. She describes how her experience helping dying patients has shifted the focus of her decision making in the boardroom and in executive meetings, making her a better administrator and mentor. Maureen's interview concludes with reflections on the strength of the survivors and how their recovery has inspired her, along with the many layers of support from staff that has helped in the post marathon healing.

The opinions and statements expressed in interviews and related content featured in the WBUR Oral History Project do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Our Marathon, WBUR, Northeastern University, or any employees or volunteers affiliated with these institutions and projects. Our Marathon and The WBUR Oral History project make no assertions about the veracity of statements made by participants in this project.

The WBUR Oral History Project. Maureen Banks (Oral History), Joanna Shea O'Brien (Oral Historian), Jayne Guberman (Recorder), Ryan McDonough (Sound Processing and Editing)

Our Marathon The Boston Bombing Digital Archive

Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston, Mass., 2013

Northeastern University Library

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