In Oregon and many states across the country, coronavirus cases continue their steady upward climb. Locally we’ve fared much better than most, thanks in part to the leadership of Douglas Public Health Network, the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team, other area health care leaders, our isolation from other communities and sheer luck. But in an equally meaningful way, you – members of our great community – are also working diligently to combat the spread of the virus.

Whether it’s avoiding crowds, working from home, distance learning or wearing a mask, many people in Douglas County are doing their part to protect their neighbors. But we can do better.

It’s important for all of us to recognize the act of wearing a mask is, in the simplest of terms, an act of kindness. Whether I’m in the grocery store or walking through the lobby of one of our clinic sites, when I see a person wearing a face covering I think to myself, ‘They care about the people around them. They care about me.’

Yes, it’s inconvenient and uncomfortable, but I submit to you it’s far less inconvenient or uncomfortable than being hooked to a ventilator or knowing your actions landed someone else in the intensive care unit struggling to breathe. I have directly cared for a patient with COVID-19, and I can assure you this virus is real and dangerous.

Think about seat belts. We wear them every day. As a matter of fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the use rate of seat belts in the United States is just under 91 percent. And yes, you wearing a seat belt also protects your passengers. Let’s imagine if 90.7 percent of us were to wear masks … how many lives would we save?

We as a community need to stop politicizing mask wearing. This isn’t about freedom. After all, how much freedom would any of us enjoy while holed up in a hospital. This is about kindness.

I think I speak for all of us when I say I want this pandemic to be over. For that to happen, we all have to contribute to limiting the spread of coronavirus. So now, when kindness is the closest thing we have to a cure, please, let’s all choose kindness.

Take care,

Jay Richards, DO
Chief Medical Officer
Aviva Health