Community Letter
March 11, 2021
Dear friends and neighbours of Haliburton County,
This week, we mark the passing of an anniversary that none of us saw coming. As of March 11, 2021, it has been one full year since the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a global pandemic. In the days and weeks leading up to this anniversary, I have found myself reflecting on all of the tremendous changes and challenges we have collectively experienced, and I wanted to share those thoughts with you.
Since March 11, 2020, everyone around us – from front-line healthcare workers and first responders, to essential workers and business owners, to friends, family and neighbours – has had to adapt to our new world in so many ways. Practices that are so common now, like wearing masks and face coverings, keeping our physical distance from the ones we love, and staying home as much as possible, were hard to imagine then. It has been an incredibly challenging year for so many of us.
Through it all, I have witnessed the strong community spirit that the Haliburton Highlands is known for. People checking in on their neighbours, looking out for one another, finding ways to laugh and celebrate the wins when they come, and most of all – stepping up to support the healthcare and other essential workers that we all rely on so much.
Every time HHHS has asked for help, whether it be finding retired healthcare workers willing to return to the front lines, collaborating with SIRCH Community Services and other volunteers to create face masks for those in need, and now offering help of all kinds for the significant community vaccination process we are about to launch, the community has stepped up. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Every time you follow public health guidelines, support one another, and offer your time, energy, and expertise to us, you make our jobs as healthcare professionals a little bit easier.
That said, as this difficult anniversary reaches us, I want you to know that it’s ok to not be ok. Feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, frustration, and isolation are completely natural and to be expected in a time of such great change and adaptation. If you or someone you know could use some support, please visit HaliburtonCares.ca and look for the many local and national mental health resources that exist to help you. There are online programs, texting and phone lines, as well as local service providers standing by to support you.
With COVID-19 vaccines starting to roll-out in Haliburton County and warmer weather upon us, I am marking this anniversary with resolve and hope. We’ve gotten this far, and I know that brighter days are on the way. Keep taking care of one another and following public health measures, and we will get through this together.
Take care,
Carolyn Plummer
President & CEO
March 11, 2021
Dear friends and neighbours of Haliburton County,
This week, we mark the passing of an anniversary that none of us saw coming. As of March 11, 2021, it has been one full year since the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a global pandemic. In the days and weeks leading up to this anniversary, I have found myself reflecting on all of the tremendous changes and challenges we have collectively experienced, and I wanted to share those thoughts with you.
Since March 11, 2020, everyone around us – from front-line healthcare workers and first responders, to essential workers and business owners, to friends, family and neighbours – has had to adapt to our new world in so many ways. Practices that are so common now, like wearing masks and face coverings, keeping our physical distance from the ones we love, and staying home as much as possible, were hard to imagine then. It has been an incredibly challenging year for so many of us.
Through it all, I have witnessed the strong community spirit that the Haliburton Highlands is known for. People checking in on their neighbours, looking out for one another, finding ways to laugh and celebrate the wins when they come, and most of all – stepping up to support the healthcare and other essential workers that we all rely on so much.
Every time HHHS has asked for help, whether it be finding retired healthcare workers willing to return to the front lines, collaborating with SIRCH Community Services and other volunteers to create face masks for those in need, and now offering help of all kinds for the significant community vaccination process we are about to launch, the community has stepped up. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Every time you follow public health guidelines, support one another, and offer your time, energy, and expertise to us, you make our jobs as healthcare professionals a little bit easier.
That said, as this difficult anniversary reaches us, I want you to know that it’s ok to not be ok. Feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, frustration, and isolation are completely natural and to be expected in a time of such great change and adaptation. If you or someone you know could use some support, please visit HaliburtonCares.ca and look for the many local and national mental health resources that exist to help you. There are online programs, texting and phone lines, as well as local service providers standing by to support you.
With COVID-19 vaccines starting to roll-out in Haliburton County and warmer weather upon us, I am marking this anniversary with resolve and hope. We’ve gotten this far, and I know that brighter days are on the way. Keep taking care of one another and following public health measures, and we will get through this together.
Take care,
Carolyn Plummer
President & CEO