Stopping the cycle of COVID: You have to do your part

Hannibal Regional is always here for you.

When you need healthcare services, when you are rushed to the ER with a heart attack, when you need surgery, when your little one has strep throat … we are here. We will continue to be here. We will continue doing everything we possibly can to serve all your healthcare needs.

You have to do your part too.

We are facing a crisis in Missouri and throughout our nation. If COVID-19 numbers continue to spiral upward, continue to strain our healthcare system, continue beyond last year’s pandemic peak … our ability to serve you will be severely tested.

Our team is exhausted. They have been working nonstop for you and your families, and we need your help. This vicious cycle of COVID-19 can be stopped. We have the playbook for steps to greatly reduce the transmission of the virus. As of Monday, Aug. 9, nearly 40 people are in our COVID unit in addition to the almost 60 more in our hospital. We have seen a trend of nearly a 25 percent increase in hospitalized cases week after week since June.

This trend simply cannot continue. So, let’s all step up, understand the plan and take actions that will help you, help your family and our whole community.

This plan sounds easy, but I know many of you question it. Question the science, question the motives, question the reality. But I can guarantee you that the family who just lost their 50-year old otherwise healthy father to COVID, the nurse working 70-80 hours a week to care for COVID patients, and the doctors who have spent their lifetime serving the healthcare needs of our community, don’t question it. They will say … this plan is simple, it is easy to do and it just might save your life.

I encourage you to get vaccinated, social distance, wear a mask when you can’t social distance and wash your hands. If everyone will do this, we should see a decline in cases within weeks.

Don’t rely on social media “experts” to guide you through this pandemic. Instead, we ask you to trust the medical experts offering science-based information.

Do you have questions regarding the vaccine? Call us. We will take the time to answer them. We will give you the facts. The facts show states with high vaccination rates are seeing far less cases of COVID, and studies continue to prove vaccines greatly reduce your chance of getting the virus. More important, they are the best protection against hospitalization and death.

We care for our community. We care about our team’s ability to fully serve you. We care enough to ask you all.

Help us now in the fight against COVID. Do your part so that tomorrow can be a better day.

Sincerely,

Todd Ahrens
President and CEO, Hannibal Regional Healthcare System