(Co-authored by Cathy Ulrich, NH President and CEO, and Colleen Nyce, NH Board Chair)
It has been one year since the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic, in March, 2020, and emergency measures and restrictions were put into place across the country and across our region.
We are now in a different world, and things are moving quickly as we turn our focus to immunizing Northern BC residents against COVID-19.
Despite our focus on moving ahead, it is important to look back and remember.
We must remember the commitment of all who work so hard in the health care system, in whatever their role, to provide the care required for so many. We must remember the caregivers, families, and others who have sacrificed so much during this time in order to follow the guidelines and orders that kept so many more people safe, despite the tragic deaths that have occurred. And finally, we must remember those whose lives were tragically cut short by this disease.
As we start to immunize people across the Northern Health region, we must continue to be vigilant. We have hope, and the end of the restrictions is now within sight, but we are not there yet.
I want to thank Northern Health staff and physicians; our patients, residents and their families; and community leaders and community members across the region who have done what was needed to get to where we are today. This has been a challenging episode in all of our lives, and it is my hope that we can reflect, amidst the tragic loss of life that did occur, on the best of the human spirit that prevented this from being so much worse than it could have been.
You have my deepest respect and gratitude for all that you have given.
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