This past Friday I shared my thoughts about a protest outside SMH and the participants’ demands to be allowed in to visit loved ones being treated for COVID.
Many of your fellow SNN viewers were quick to respond. Here is a representative sample of the comments. For and against.
Barbara wrote,
“I appreciate that you present science-based truths without pulling any punches.”
Donna, an SMH employee emailed,
“You could not have expressed my thoughts and feelings any better.”
Randy, wrote in,
“Great editorial!! I hope the audience understands.”
Ray works for SMH Public Safety. He emailed,
“You said today what we all here at SMH want to go to the top of the mountain and yell…it raised all our spirits.”
Bill and his wife to our listened to our Friday the 13th commentary and remarked,
“Need more public officials, especially in (What the) Florida to acknowledge the facts of life on COVID.”
Bill said we’d likely hear from anit-vaxxers. We did. From two so far. The first left the following voice mail, but no name:
“Your network is a freakin Communist network, You’re promoting this lie about the Covid inoculations and scaring people to death. It’s disgusting how you promote this crap, dividing people against each other, instead working together with everybody to make sure things work out. You hate the governor and you despise America.”
And, on Twitter John followed up with
“Somebody tell this guy [yours truly] that Pravda went out of business in 1991. They’re not hiring anymore.”
Finally, Toni wrote an emotional and heartfelt note to us from which I will read most of it.
“As a member of the ICU team at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, my colleagues and I have been bedside with critical care intensivists, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, dieticians, case managers, social workers and nurses doing everything we can. Not having the ‘right cocktail’ to cure COVID has been the most heartbreaking and difficult thing to process. We had all hoped that the vaccine would prevent seeing another surge in cases like we did in later summer and fall 2020. We had hope that everything was getting back to normal. Instead, we are again in crisis mode with even more patients in the hospital with COVID than at any point in time last year.
“Our team is in the battle with the patient[s] 24 hours a day. We do everything we can to protect and support these individuals and keep them comfortable and strong as they fight against the virus in the battle of their lives.
“Learning of the protest early [Friday] morning was painful. Employees have been working extra shifts and staying late to support our team and the patients – there is literally nothing else we could be doing.
There is something you and I can and should do. Let’s create a neutral zone around SMH and other health care institutions. Permit these heroic people to do God’s work without fear and retribution. Outside that zone, our caller made a good point when he urged “working together with everybody to make sure things work out.” So, let’s see if we can all meet each other halfway.
If you didn’t see Friday’s commentary, we’ll make sure to post a link at the bottom of this video once it is posted on SNN TV dot com. Please. Send us an email.
Thanks for reaching out. I’m Craig Burdick. Thanks for watching SNN, THE Suncoast News Network.
