The View from Here

From Executive Director Jeff Brull, Fall 2020

There’s certainly no end to the amount of information I receive on the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s on my television and radio news, my daily online papers, social media, and it’s among the most discussed topics at my work and home. It’s inescapable. The quality of the information varies somewhat among these sources, however, and I decided that if I am often confused about the quality of information, others must be as well.

So, I sought out Kevin Myers, HaysMed’s Director of Infection Prevention who not only sits on the HaysMed Coronavirus Taskforce, but also at the epicenter of all the information and communication surrounding COVID-19 locally. “It’s easy to think of the pandemic as being old news, but for us locally it’s still peaking,” said Myers. “It’s here. It’s no longer just a big city threat.”

Myers gets frequent calls, not only from folks within HaysMed, but also from individuals and businesses in the community on what their response should be regarding prevention and handling situations where an employee has tested positive or has come in close contact with someone else who has. Above all else Myers emphasizes that we must remain vigilant about choosing when and where we go out in order to minimize our risk of exposure but also to reduce our risk of exposing others. Myers maintains masks are always a good idea when used properly and in conjunction with proper and frequent hand-washing and minimizing contact with your face. “We cannot eliminate all risk, but we can make choices that reduce our opportunities for exposure,” said Myers.

Lastly, I asked what the most frequent misunderstanding is that Kevin spends time clarifying. Not surprisingly, it surrounds the use of masks. “Masking is a little bit about protecting yourself, but it’s mostly about protecting the people around you,” Myers said.

To have your questions about COVID-19 answered, contact your health care provider, visit HaysMed online at: https://www.haysmed.com/covidinformation or call the Coronavirus hotline at 877-261-7140.