Happy New Year!

I extend my best wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you. This comes not in the form of a celebratory squeal made at midnight with confetti and hats but rather in the form of a statement made with firm conviction. This upcoming year is a welcome change and will be a better year. 

Is the pandemic over? No.

Have we gotten past the worst of it? No.

But we have learned and we are armed with knowledge and tools to face 2021 that we didn’t have a year ago. If Dr. Thomas Dobbs and Dr. Anthony Fauci are correct, as they have been until now, the next couple of months will be the hardest time for hospitals. Our November and December experience certainly supports that prediction – so we are braced for the worst. We watch with dread as the number of national and statewide new cases and deaths continue to trend upward.

We are talking about crisis standards of care. What does that mean? The definition of a disaster is when the demand for resources outstrips the supply. What are our resources? Beds. Supplies. Equipment. And most precious of all – you. With crisis standards of care – the allocation and use of these scarce resources change. Patients who would normally be in critical care beds are not. Nurse-to-patient ratios change. And so on. We have some rough times ahead of us.

But, at this point we are also informed by science and by our experiences. 

The brightest news of late has been the development and release of vaccines. This is the literal “shot in the arm” we need to get on the other side of this pandemic. 

Personally, our national response to this pandemic has been disheartening. As a country, we demonstrated a failure to unite against a common threat. Why? How? Late at night, these questions have run through my mind over and over the last six months. Perhaps it has been due to the influence of social media (and the often associated misinformation) and/or the political climate. Whatever the reason, we have had a disorganized, fractured and chaotic response at the national and individual levels. In an interesting conversation, someone described this to me as “the typical American response.” Democracy is messy. That sure made me ponder and question my thoughts about our country. Honestly, I didn’t expect every individual to follow the advice of medical experts, but following the unity I witnessed after 9/11, I did expect a different level of accord. Like so many of you, I have experienced an internal roller coaster of emotions with high moments of anticipation and low moments of disappointment. As I face 2021, I have DECIDED to remain hopeful and intensely proud of who we are as a country (messy flaws and all). I WILL proceed with courage and be persistent in fighting this fight ahead of us.

Besides the vaccine, there is other positive news as we head into the new year. There are a few promising treatment options for COVID-19. Clinical trials are underway for both treatment and prevention. Our ability to provide care for patients with COVID-19 has markedly improved. Here at UMMC, research efforts are booming. This last fall, we had an all-time high in qualified applicants to our professional schools. It is exciting to me that, during this time of stress and turmoil in health care, intelligent and motivated young people have decided that science and medicine are worthwhile career and life choices. Now more than ever, we need our best and brightest in the health sciences. 

We have witnessed what I am confident will be permanent changes to the business of medicine and academic medical centers. Our use of telehealth will never return to pre-pandemic practice. We will continue to embrace the use of technology in the way we teach students, balanced with the appropriate level of in-person instruction. We (health professionals and hopefully the general public and lawmakers) have a sharpened focus and understanding of the criticality of science and public health infrastructure. This pandemic heightened our awareness and sense of urgency around health care disparities. Through our joint efforts in both the clinical and basic sciences, we have a deeper functional understanding of true team science, which is the path for the future.

As I reflect on 2020, I again extend my thanks for all you have done. This pandemic has left no one unscathed. I have a deep appreciation for where we are right now as a medical center and know it is due to your heroic efforts and unwavering commitment. You inspire me each and every day. YOU are the “why” for me. 

So, with firm conviction I say Happy New Year. Together, we will continue to progress on our journey toward #AHealthierMississippi. (But let’s all eat our black-eyed peas, greens or cabbage, cornbread and ham on New Year’s Day for extra assurance!)