Are you experiencing COVID-19 fatigue? Are you wondering if all the reminders to practice good social distancing, to stay home if you’re sick, to wash your hands and to wear a mask are falling on deaf ears?

It’s been an unprecedented 5 months. We’ve learned to be flexible and adjust to the constant change related to our community, county and state’s response to the pandemic. Through it all, we’ve seen how resilient our community truly is. We’ve come together to support those who needed it most, we rallied in support of front-line workers – teachers, caregivers, grocery store workers, doctors, nurses (just to name a few) – and we did our best to support our local businesses. At every turn, we’ve demonstrated the power of community.

There’s an old saying, “it takes a village,” and as we look to the fall, we’ll need to muster the power of community to push through the next phase of the pandemic.

As summer comes to an end and schools reopen, we need to do our part to keep everyone safe and the number of positive cases low. Doing simple things like – wearing a mask, staying home when you’re sick, and washing your hands – will go a long way to ensure we can regain the sense of normalcy we all long for.

Like you, we only want what’s best for our community. We want schools to reopen and stay open. We want our children to be safe. We want the most vulnerable to know we’ve got their back. We want our businesses to reopen at full capacity and thrive.

At Meeker Memorial, we’re doing our part. We’ve put in the protocols needed to keep you and your family safe. We stand ready to care for those who need it. When it comes to your health, we’ve got your back.

Living with COVID-19 is not easy or convenient, but together we can do it. If we each do our part, we’ll get through this. So, as you go about your day, help your neighbor and your community stay safe by:

• Wearing a mask – don’t just do it for yourself, do it for the person next to you.
• Staying home when you’re sick.
• Doing what you can to help the least of us.
• Practicing good social distancing.

Through all of this, know that we are ready to serve your health care needs. Like you, we’re committed to our community. Like you, we’re prepared to do what is needed to keep each other safe. Like you, we’ll continue to do our part.

Stay safe, stay strong and know that Meeker Memorial will always be there when you need us.

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Dr. Deb Peterson is a family medicine provider and Chief Medical Officer at Meeker Memorial Hospital & Clinics.