April 11, 2021
Joy’s Blog: We Need Each Other
It’s been over a year since our personal and professional lives were urgently impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic. It’s been 394 days since St. Cloud Hospital had our first confirmed COVID-19 inpatient. During every single one of those 394 days, you have cared for patients, residents, and people in our community. You have not stopped. And we have not had the break we thought we would get.
There have been glimmers of light and hope, but no end. Not yet anyway. Now more than ever, we need you – and we need each other. And we see you. We see the difference you make as you answer the 100th call of your shift to reassure a worried parent who is trying to schedule a COVID test. We see the difference you are making as you deliver the 617thvaccine of your life – more in the past 2 months than what you administered over your 38-year career. We see the compassion in your eyes and the softness of your touch as you reposition a patient who has COVID.
And for those of you who are working from home amid kids and countless WebEx meetings, supporting everyone on the front lines who care for patients, we see you, too. And we know the stress you feel holding it all together.
I want you all to know that we see your exhaustion, your frustration, your dedication, your resilience, and your purpose. We see the difference you are making…all of you. Thank you so very much.
Hang in there with us. Take care of yourself. Ask for help if you need it. Rest when you can. Get outside. Be active. Wear a mask in public. Keep washing your hands. Get vaccinated if you have not already – and remember we are all in this together.
We know how hard all of you are working and I am so thankful.
Joy