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The Beer Gang Episode 8: Breaker Brewing Company triple IPA

Dictionary.com picks 'pandemic' as its 2020 word of the year

Lately, I&rsquo;ve been asking you to look out for one another.
				In the months we&rsquo;ve been living with the novel coronavirus pandemic, I&rsquo;ve been asking you to look beyond your own lives, wants and needs and consider your neighbors, your aging parents, those members of your community who might be more vulnerable than you and could be severely impacted by a COVID-19 infection.
				I&rsquo;ve been asking for us to come together as a community to beat this virus.
				But I haven&rsquo;t focused enough on health care professionals &#8211; doctors, nurses, therapists, environmental services technicians, and everyone else who comes in direct contact with COVID-19 patients &#8211; and how the pandemic is affecting them.
				It&rsquo;s been a long road for these practitioners. They&rsquo;ve been battling the disease since March, and in many cases for months before that in preparation for its arrival.
				In the beginning, they encountered the anxiety and uncertainty of treating a new virus, about which little was known regarding how it spread and how serious resulting infection could be. As weeks went on, these frontline caregivers had to adapt with each new discovery and set of safety guidelines.
				These folks have worked long, densely scheduled and unpredictable shifts for months on end. They&rsquo;ve be retrained, reassigned and redeployed to support the need to care for COVID-19 patients and to keep hospitals and clinics safe for other patients.
				We have celebrated our health care providers as heroes &#8211; a title they&rsquo;ve earned and honored during these trying months &#8211; but how often do we step back and realize the price of such heroism?
				Health care workers are exhausted. They&rsquo;ve gotten little rest and even less peace of mind. They&rsquo;ve dealt with patient surges and packed hospital units all while worrying that they might contract, and potentially bring home, this highly infectious disease.
				Some who care for the most critically ill have seen more death than they may be accustomed to. Experiencing that suffering and hardship, not only among patients but among those family members with whom they communicate, takes a significant toll.
				Among caregivers, it&rsquo;s not uncommon to see anxiety, depression and burnout at this stage of the pandemic. And what&rsquo;s most concerning now is we&rsquo;re seeing our biggest surge yet. Providers needed relief after the spike that occurred in the spring, and what we&rsquo;re facing now is more daunting.
				So, how do we help these knights in shining white coats and medical scrubs?
				We start by wearing our masks, staying physically distant from those who live outside our households and washing and sanitizing our hands regularly. That will prove to be the biggest help as it&rsquo;s our best chance at slowing the spread of COVID-19, taking some stress off our hospitals and actually providing relief for our health care professionals.
				But beyond these safety measures, a simple thank you can go a long way. If you know someone who works in health care, reach out. Ask them how they&rsquo;re doing and if you can help in any way. If you or someone in your family has been cared for during the pandemic and you&rsquo;re grateful, consider sharing your story with the providers you know. It just might give them the strength to carry on.
				In our community, you can share your story by visiting geisinger.org/about-geisinger/geisinger-foundation/share-your-story.
				But please remember, the recognition of their effort will be appreciated, but it will be masking, physical distancing and respiratory hygiene that supports them most. Those safety measures, if followed, will lessen their burden.

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