Two Years of COVID-19 and a Reminder for Mutual Respect and Kindness

Mar. 2, 2022

For the past two years, we have collectively, locally and across the globe, spent nearly every day riding the waves of COVID-19. A global pandemic affects everyone – from every walk of life and every industry, and it stresses, frustrates and challenges all of us. Health care workers, though, have had a unique, up-close experience.

At Lee Health, we lost our first patient to the novel coronavirus on March 5, 2020, so our team members have spent nearly 730 days living and working through the pandemic. They've experienced the unknowns and uncertainties of the early days, the highs of seeing patients fight, recover and go home, the lows of watching patients fight and lose their battle against the virus, and the renewed frustrations with the Delta and Omicron variant surges. Our team members – and health care workers across the globe – were celebrated as heroes. Unfortunately, as the pandemic drags on, the appreciation and respect for the health care team have waned.

We understand that variant surges lead to more patients in our facilities, which means longer wait times, and increased spread of the virus among our team members leads to staffing challenges. We understand the frustrations, and we know these challenges are not unique to Lee Health. We ask, though, that our patients, their family members and visitors recognize that our staff is working hard to deliver the safest, highest quality, compassionate care – amid all issues. Kindness and understanding go a long way for all of us.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the catchphrase has been "We're all in this together." No one knew, of course, two years ago that we would still be fighting this virus. So, while it may be a clichéd and overused phrase, it is true that we are still in this together. And we all deserve to be treated with courtesy, dignity and respect.

As President & CEO of Lee Health, I am proud of our incredible teams throughout our health system who have shown tremendous dedication, resilience and strength through all of the challenges of the past two years. It is my hope that every person who walks through the door of a Lee Health facility – whether as a patient or an employee – is treated with kindness, compassion and respect, every day and night.