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Please, please get vaccinated against COVID 19

Dear Friends and Neighbors:

Most of us take healthcare for granted. Like the water we drink or the electricity we use, we can’t imagine it not being there when we need it most.

Next year, Trinity Health celebrates 100 years of Making More Possible for the communities we serve. It’s been a privilege to be a reliable partner, caring for you and your family whenever you’ve needed us, regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status or political philosophy.

For the last 21 months, Trinity Health has fought courageously against the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Like many other healthcare institutions across the country, we find ourselves in the middle of a blinding blizzard. Earlier this week, the State of North Dakota reached the unfortunate benchmark of more than 160,000 COVID-19 positive cases and nearly 1,900 deaths.

We are gaining patients … and losing patience at the same time. Acute care (hospital care) is a hands-on responsibility. It can’t be delivered virtually but must be performed up-close and personally by highly-qualified, compassionate healthcare professionals. Our medical teams have heroically fought this battle since March 2020. Their physical, emotional and mental bandwidth has been stretched to the brink.

Unfortunately, unvaccinated COVID patients continue to flood hospitals and emergency rooms across the state. Although the care they receive at Trinity Health is second to none, there is concern that with a limited supply of beds and resources statewide, the resources required to care for a father’s heart attack, an elderly mother’s fall, or a young adult from an auto accident could be impacted.

During this public health crisis, healthcare workers have been referred to as heroes for their dedication and commitment to their patients and their calling. It is a title justly deserved, yet very much understated. Our nurses have tenderly held the hands of COVID-19 patients as they take their last breath. They have witnessed numerous unvaccinated patients beg for the vaccine after they have become infected and experienced the horror this disease can bring. They have touched and been touched by these lives. They have hoped, prayed and cried with many patients and their families. These nurses are heroes, and now is the time for you to be a hero.

There is a solution that can make a difference: vaccination.

Science has clearly proven that the COVID-19 vaccine is effective at mitigating the effects of the disease. Each one of us can effectively change the direction of this virus before other variants develop and mutate into something even more debilitating. Imagine for a moment where we would be had there not been a vaccine for smallpox, polio, measles, rubella and other crippling diseases. It was a scientific breakthrough to discover those remedies that changed the world.

We live in a beautiful corner of the state and are blessed to be in Minot and surrounding communities. We are equipped with top notch, sophisticated medical professionals unlike other communities our size. Let’s take advantage of the latest breakthrough to protect our most priceless asset – our health – before it’s too late.

Please schedule a vaccine appointment with your nearest healthcare provider. There are no barriers to getting vaccinated.

I encourage everyone to protect your family, friends, neighbors and the hundreds of healthcare professionals who have been there for us. Please consider vaccination.

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