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Guest Opinions

Frontline COVID-19 workers have Kadlec’s thanks | Guest Opinion

Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland.
Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. Tri-City Herald file

As long-time supporters of Kadlec and members of the Kadlec Community Mission Board, we want to express our thanks and admiration to the caregivers and providers who have been serving on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Benton and Franklin Counties.

At all the hospitals and health facilities throughout the area, staff have responded with professionalism and dedication. They demonstrate daily their commitment to providing safe, compassionate care at great personal sacrifice. Without the collective effort of the community, they will be overwhelmed.

This has been a long, challenging year for all of us. But those on the frontlines are exhausted and have been through more than we can imagine. As a community, we owe it to them to do all that we can to ease their burden. The best way we can support them is to adhere to state and local directives, wear our masks, practice physical distancing and limit indoor gathering.

Promising vaccines are on the way, but it is essential that we do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID in our community to prevent hospitalizations and needless deaths. We know this is especially difficult during the holidays, but we need to make sacrifices so that our hospitals are not overwhelmed, and our resources are not stretched thin.

We are fortunate to have quality medical care in our community, and we are thankful to have health care workers who are so devoted to caring for our friends, our families, and ourselves. Let’s pay it forward and do all that we can to thank our caregivers and flatten the curve of COVID-19 in our community.

Kadlec Community Mission Board Members:

Mark Gehlen

John Heaton

Saundra Hill

Susan Kreid

Larry Jecha, MD

Mike Lawrence

David Lippes

Wayne Martin, PhD

Amy Person, MD

Ted Samsell, MD

Marilyn Quadrel, PhD

Luay Ailabouni, MD

Ralph Laraiso, DO

This story was originally published November 25, 2020 at 6:29 AM with the headline "Frontline COVID-19 workers have Kadlec’s thanks | Guest Opinion."

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