SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Summit County Public Health wrote an open letter to the community, asking them to enter the holiday season and the upcoming new year with “kindness, grace and courtesy” as they continue to fight COVID-19 and provide numerous other services as they have for years.
The letter, addressed to Summit County, starts by saying that SCPH understands that “people are frustrated, angry and just plain short tempered these days” but that the local health department is made up of their fellow residents, neighbors and friends.
SCPH said that its staff “goes to work every day with the explicit mission to protect the health of the public.”
The health department reminded those in the community who may be angry with everything going on with the pandemic that it doesn’t just deal with COVID-19 related issues and over the past 100 years has ensured that the food at restaurants in the county is safe and that drinking water is not contaminated, it has monitored air quality and provided important services such as WIC and other community services.
SCPH’s letter to the community seemed to aim at easing tensions surrounding the department while it continues to work to keep the community safe.
“We have worked tirelessly 7 days a week since March with one goal in mind: to keep you & your family safe,” SCPH wrote.
SCPH reminded the community that their staff is also missing family events, stressing about their children shifting to remote learning and worrying about the health and well being of their loved ones.
The department ended the letter with a plea to the community with one request: “Let’s send 2020 out and usher 2021 in with kindness, grace and courtesy on social media, and in all our interactions with one another.”
Read the full letter below:
