To the Editor,
In my family, we started a tradition on Thanksgiving of tracing our hand on construction paper, cutting it out and writing something we were thankful for on it. Initially, the hands were supposed to have eyes, beaks and feet to make it look like a turkey but now they are just hands with many thanks.
It is fun and interesting to look at them through the years when my then four-year-old grandson wrote “balls” and my daughter wrote “insulin.” Most of them have some version of “my family,” “my friends,” “my health.”
This year I invite you to join me in sending hands to our Fillmore County Public Health. This is a group of dedicated health professionals who have always provided us with support and education but this year they have tackled the biggest public health concern in our lives, the COVID-19 virus.
They have provided guidance and support to our nursing homes, the assisted living sites, the schools and clinics and to each of us who are so lucky to live in Fillmore County. Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) supplies have been distributed to health care workers; unending calls have been fielded. They are now working on contact tracing, dispensing flu vaccine and trying to organize for the upcoming COVID vaccine. They deserve our hands of thanks.
But let’s also give them a helping hand. Please wear those masks and wash those hands. My grandchildren live a half-mile away but we will be drawing our hands virtually this year. We want to have many more Thanksgivings together. Respect social distancing. Keep those you love safe. Protect your friends and neighbors, your co-workers, your local businesses. We are a community that cares deeply about each other. We can do this together.
Dr. Stephanie Jakim
Whalan, Minn.
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