Eleven doctors at Baptist Health Hardin (formerly Hardin Memorial Hospital) in Elizabethtown, who comprise the facility’s Medical Executive Committee, have penned a letter to the editor of The News-Enterprise imploring people to help the medical community fight the surging COVID-19 pandemic by wearing a mask in public and receiving a vaccine.
As physicians, we are called to care for the sick no matter the time of the day or day of the week. We are asked to put others before ourselves. During the pandemic, our call is no different. We are using our knowledge of science, clinical skill and compassion to help others.
But we need more help.
We cannot fight this battle against COVID-19 alone and we must use every tool at our disposal.
You know what our tools are: masking, handwashing, keeping a few feet of distance between ourselves and others and receiving a vaccine. Together, these measures can help keep members of your family from becoming severely ill, being hospitalized or even dying from COVID-19.
What we are lacking and what we need the most right now is help from our community. We are asking — imploring — for your support of these efforts. Without everyone doing their part, we are at risk for failing. If you could only walk in our shoes and see the patients that we see. We so desperately need everyone in this community to wear a mask when in public and to receive a vaccine.
These are simple measures that — if we all do them — can save many people and families from the huge challenges they will inevitably face should someone in the family contract COVID-19.
At any time, you or a family member could need care for any number of health issues. Even during the pandemic, it is critical that we have the capacity to continue care for those with heart disease, cancer, stroke, injuries and other medical conditions — and we can only do this by reducing the number of COVID-19 cases.
Without our community’s support and collaboration, our hospital is at the brink of being unable to effectively care for our communities in the same way we are all accustomed. So please, help us be able to help you. Without your support, we will not be successful.
Signed,
Baptist Health Hardin Medical Executive Committee
Dr. Allison Cardin, Chief, Dr. Linnea Smith, Chief-elect, Dr. Karen Brunkhorst, Chief Surgery, Dr. Joseph Stone, Chief Emergency Department, Dr. Bethany Haynes, Chief Pediatrics, Dr. Stewart Couch, Chief Radiology, Dr. Jason Goodman, Chief Obstetrics, Dr. Anesh Badiwala, Chief Medicine, Dr. William Durkan, Chief Anesthesiology, Dr. Gwen Godfrey, Chief Pathology, Dr. Michael Nethers, Chair of Credentials.
