This Holiday Season, We're Thankful for You

An open letter to Alice Hyde employees:

This Holiday season, we find ourselves at a time like no other in our lives. Our public health crisis is ramping up yet again, as COVID-19 cases surge in our county and throughout the Northern New York region,  while at the same time our country has never been closer to bringing this pandemic to an end. The crisis continues to produce uncertainty and stress in our communities, while people of all ages and walks of life rise to the challenges they are facing and make a positive impact.

We have all been impacted by this virus. Our hearts go out to those in our community and our organization who have suffered pain and loss during this crisis. To those who have lost loved ones: our words can never heal your pain and sorrow, or fill the hole left in your lives by those who have been lost. Still, we share your grief, and our thoughts and prayers are with each of you and your families this holiday season.

To all members of the Alice Hyde family, we thank you for a year of uniquely heroic work in the face of overwhelming challenges. Every member of our clinical and non-clinical teams has performed admirably in the face of an extended global public health emergency. We know you are exhausted, anxious, and unsure how to even begin navigating the “beginning of the end” of this pandemic. You know there is still more work to do; more COVID-positive patients that will need compassion and care in the coming weeks and months; more anxious families who will be searching for comfort, answers and ways to stay connected to their loved ones in our care; and more changes to the way we deliver care and protect each other and our hospital, as we work to distribute the forthcoming vaccinations among health care workers, educate our communities, and ultimately play our part in a nationwide effort to ensure the public has access to these impactful treatments.

Your response to these challenging situations continues to make us proud to be a part of Alice Hyde.

Despite a year-long national disaster, Alice Hyde has also managed to continue investing in the foundation of our community-based mission. We have committed to clinical quality, advanced a patients-first agenda   focused on ensuring safety, trust and compassionate, timely care. We have reimagined the delivery of health care in our community with advances in both telehealth and in-person services; and continued to grow our clinical teams and the scope of services we offer.

This is the commitment and effort our region needs from health care organizations like Alice Hyde, and we are incredibly proud of your accomplishments, which have allowed us to lead the conversation about health care after COVID.

The holidays are a time to give thanks. With everything going on in our personal and professional lives — not to mention in our communities, our region and across our nation — it is worth remembering that even the simplest act of kindness can make a dramatic, positive impact on the lives of those around us. We are thankful for the many acts we see and experience each day, and we challenge every member of the Alice Hyde family to continue practicing patience, compassion, and kindness.

We are blessed to live and work in a community of people like you — hard working, resilient, and dedicated to making our organization and community a better place today than it was yesterday.

From the Alice Hyde family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful and safe holiday season.