As we enter the second year of this deadly pandemic, there is light at the end of the tunnel. With just a couple of months of sacrifice we have the potential to put this terrible time behind us. What is the best path forward? The dedicated providers listed below are unified in our conviction that getting vaccinated, continued masking in public, avoiding group gatherings, hand hygiene and social distancing are still important components of the path forward.
We urge you to mask and avoid group gatherings not only for yourself, but for others. Hospitalizations within the Munson Healthcare system are skyrocketing and surrounding counties continue to have very high rates of transmission. Masking slows transmission and will give us time to get more people vaccinated and save lives. Even those who have already had Covid-19 and recovered and those fully vaccinated have a small chance of contracting the virus, and potentially spreading it. We wear our masks so we are less likely to spread the virus unintentionally to others, please do the same for each other.
We realize many are hesitant to get the vaccines, for various reasons. This is not a political crisis but a public health one. The healthcare providers below have dedicated well over a thousand years taking care of you and your families. Our hearts have broken watching families suffer the isolation and loss that has dominated our work this past year. Yet, we continue to have members of our community fall ill, almost universally unvaccinated people at this point, and we worry that if not enough people get vaccinated, the cycle of sickness, suffering and death will continue. Everyone listed here believes the approved vaccines are safe and effective, so much so that all of us are vaccinated. Please discuss your individual concerns with your provider, a much more trusted source than the internet, ask all your questions and then please decide what’s right for you, your family and your community. Vaccine supply is rapidly rising and the local practices, pharmacies and Health Department have sign-ups available. Once enough people are vaccinated we can start to put this trying, uncertain time behind us.
Thank you for your trust and the privilege of allowing us to care for you and your family.
Christine Nefcy, MD - Munson Healthcare Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Walt Noble, MD – Munson Medical Center CMO
James Whelan, MD - Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital CMO
Brian McComb, DO - Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital CMO
Jim Jeakle, MD - Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital CMO
Aditya Neravetla, MD - Munson Healthcare Grayling Hospital CMO
Janelle Hendrian, DO - Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial Hospital CMO
Nancy Smith, MD - Munson Healthcare Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital CMO
Jeremy Holmes, DO – Kalkaska Memorial Health Center CMO