An open letter to our community
The number of COVID-19 cases in our community is rapidly rising, and our hospital beds are filling.
The number of COVID-19 cases in our community is rapidly rising, and our hospital beds are filling with those too ill to quarantine at home and care for themselves. It is critically important that we take action now.
Please, for the health and safety of yourself, your loved ones and your neighbors, wear a mask. Avoid gatherings – not just with strangers, but with extended family members. Don’t stand or be near people who don’t live with you. Wash your hands often. With Thanksgiving and the holidays coming, please celebrate responsibly in a scaled-back fashion that limits the virus’s spread.
We want to continue to provide the excellent care that you’ve come to expect from Baptist Health and U of L Health -- to you and to your loved ones -- when you need it most. We are prepared to handle a surge of patients, but there is a limit. There will be a point when our hospitals will be too full to treat all of you with the virus and those with other medical needs. We are at a crossroads and desperately need your assistance with curbing the spread of the virus.
For the last eight months, our healthcare professionals have stood united in the fight against COVID-19. We have rejoiced with those who recovered, and mourned with those who suffered a loss. Now, as COVID-19 cases reach record levels, we ask that you stand with us.
No single health measure is 100 percent effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19. They must be used together. That’s why we ask you to take every precaution possible to limit the spread in our community and save lives.
A little bit of sacrifice and support from you can make a big difference for many. We are going to get past this. And we will get past it by working together.
Kenneth Anderson, MD Jason Smith, MD
Chief Medical Officer Chief Medical Officer
Baptist Health Louisville U of L Health