Editor:
Open letter to all healthcare workers
This letter is written with the deepest gratitude to those who work in the healthcare profession in our community – you are our neighbours, our friends, our family. To each of you who has woken up and walked out the door every day to face unknown challenges, you have our utmost respect. Our words cannot express how much we appreciate your dedication to our community and your patients.
Recently community leaders across the Northern Health region came together virtually to meet with Minister Dix to discuss concerns around low vaccination and soaring hospitalization rates resulting in extreme pressures on our healthcare workers and systems.
The lack of hospital beds and worker burnout was the key concern. Community leaders are grappling with what can be done to reduce pressure on our system.
We understand residents are declining the vaccine for various reasons, including ideological concerns, mistrust, and fear. Whatever the reason, we urge individuals to reconsider.
As Council, we will continue to support our healthcare workers, by encouraging vaccination, encouraging mask wearing, and encouraging the use of the vaccine passport.
These measures are here to protect us all from the disease, protect our healthcare workers, and keep our healthcare system ready and able to respond when someone is in an accident, has a heart attack, or needs treatment from cancer. These mandates are also here to help us live life despite COVID and to protect our businesses and frontline workers. These are challenging times, but we are committed to helping you to weather this storm.
We have always been a community that puts others above ourselves during times of crisis. It is clear that our healthcare workers are doing their part. The solution is simple: a high vaccination rate will allow us to return to our carefree and uninhibited way of life and keep our loved ones safe. Until then, let’s show our gratitude to our healthcare workers for their outstanding commitment to saving all lives.
Take care of yourself and others,
Mayor Dolores Funk