Doctors, Nurses, Aides, and everyone involved in the local healthcare system have been working around the clock to serve our community.
There was a strong outpouring of support when the pandemic reached Craven County, NC, in April, May and June. There were yard signs and other public displays of support for our Healthcare Heroes. Some of them may still be there, but we haven’t personally seen them.
Summer came and went as we tried to come to terms with the changes in our lives. There’s no-one to blame.
We’ve been monitoring the virus cases reported by the Craven County Health Department and there was a peak on August 13 when CarolinaEast Medical Center was treating 14 COVID-19 patients. Things seemed to settle down until mid-September when the number of hospitalizations started to rise again. This time, the numbers increased to 25. They have been up and down, with an average of 20 hospitalizations since October 1. The highest was reported on October 15 as 27.
One COVID-19 patient is a lot to handle but imagine all the work that goes into treating 27. On October 20, the Craven County Health Department reported 2,096 Cases, 261 Active, 1,779 Recovered, 15 Hospitalized, and 56 Deaths.
We can all do our part in helping those who are trying their best to save the lives of our neighbors, friends, and family members.
The first thing we can do is wear a mask to protect others. Imagine having surgery and the surgeon decides that they don’t want to wear a mask because they don’t feel like it. Would you have the surgery? I wouldn’t.
We’re very fortunate to have CarolinaEast Medical Center, Coastal Carolina Health Care (CCHC), and MERCI Clinic and the high-quality healthcare that they provide. If they become overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, it could prevent them from providing routine procedures or handling emergencies? This would be a nightmare, but if our community spread continues to rise, it’s possible.
Think about the healthcare team who put their lives on the line every day to serve us. If you feel that you’re having a tough day, think about how they are doing. They are personally trying to cope with the virus and on top of that, they are treating highly contagious patients. They may be the last person to say goodbye to a COVID-19 patient, so they don’t die alone. Every death takes a toll on their mental health. This is a virus that no-one was prepared to handle.
If you want to help our Healthcare Heroes cope with the loss, show your support by making a heart shaped wreath with blue lights on it. If they’re coming off a shift or going to work and they see it, it may brighten their day/night enough to get through the next shift.
I’m not an artsy person, but I managed to make the above heart out of a coat hanger and blue lights. If you decide to make one, share it on social media with #newberncares and #healthcareheroes. We will designate a page on NewBernNow.com with your photos so they know that our community cares about them.
Tell me what you think by sending an email.
Wendy Card