December 2020

Proud of Our Healthcare Heroes

Have you ever met an actual Hero in your lifetime?  I would like to proudly state that the 2,000+ health care workers of Local 4911 display, each and every day, the qualities of a hero as defined by Meriam-Webster.  A Hero is “a person admired for achievements and noble qualities and one who shows great courage”.

We have all been on an extraordinary journey together since March 2020 battling Covid-19.  As we ramp up and enter into unchartered territory, the CDC explains that we will simultaneously battle cold/flu season with skyrocketing cases of Covid-19.  The CDC recently reported that wearing a mask protects the mask wearer and also the general public.  Weekly news reports from doctors repeatedly explain that most of the spread of Covid-19 happens when you are asymptomatic – you have no idea you are possibly contaminating others and sharing this deadly virus because you do not feel sick.

Your health and safety is paramount to our Covid-19 recovery as a family, as an organization and as households in our surrounding communities.  Therefore, please remain diligent in your efforts to mask up and stay safe for the Health and Safety of yourselves, your family, your friends, co-workers and neighbors.  Follow the protocols and guidelines of the science community.  Until there is a vaccination for Covid-19, we must continue to make extraordinary efforts to stay safe and be cautious.  Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna are making great strides in the research and production for a vaccination to combat this deadly virus.  They are showing us promises of hope, we can see a light at the end of this dark tunnel.  

If you have neighbors, family, friends, etc., whom you know can use a helping hand, please reach out to them.  Due to social isolation, you may be the only person they speak to on any given day.  A few words of encouragement or a positive remark may make someone’s day a little bit brighter in an otherwise dismal environment.  If they are 60+ years old, there is a free resource called GetSetUp to help navigate them through technology.  An internet connection is necessary to utilize 150+ educational online classes – for free during the next 6 months.  (Examples: how to use smartphones, video conferencing, grocery deliveries, etc.)

Members of the community, if you see a Healthcare Hero, you may find it in your heart to say “thank you” for your efforts to help keep us safe during this pandemic and the unchartered territory on our future horizon.

Healthcare Heroes of UAW Local 4911, (and everyone in the community), please wear your mask with pride knowing that you are doing your part to stay safe while also keeping those around you safe.  We all appreciate your extraordinary efforts in the community.  We appreciate you; we thank you for your service and we are forever grateful for your courage.

This Holiday season, we may need to break typical family traditions to keep loved ones safe.  Together, we can help each other get through this overwhelmingly extremely difficult time in our lives. Please commit to making sacrifices today for the promise of a greater tomorrow.  Happy Holidays and stay safe!