Letter to Our Oklahoma City Community

Dear Neighbors,

As we approach the holiday season, we are deeply concerned about the increase in COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma. Our hospitals are reaching maximum capacity too frequently. We need your help to decrease the transmission of COVID-19 in our community.

As caregivers, our mission is to care for all patients with all conditions at all levels of care. Though we coordinate daily to create capacity, our beds are limited and our resources are stretched.  There are long waits in emergency rooms and holds on admissions or patient transfers to our hospitals as we wait for beds to open.

This has been a difficult year for everyone, especially our hospital staff who have been on the front lines of this pandemic since March. While their dedication to patient care is unwavering, this pandemic has taken a toll on their mental and physical health – as it has for many of you. All of us are experiencing “pandemic fatigue,” but COVID-19 does not rest. We must take steps now to stop the spread of this virus.

Oklahomans are great at doing hard things—especially when it means taking care of our own.  We can prevent the spread of COVID-19 together by:

• Watching our distance (stay a minimum of 6 feet apart from people who live outside your home)
• Wearing a mask in places where we can’t practice social distancing—even with our friends and family who don’t live in our home
• Washing our hands often
• Getting our flu shot
• Staying home when we are not feeling well or when we have been exposed to someone with COVID-19
• Avoiding gatherings with people outside of our immediate family members living in our homes

While we look forward to a vaccine in the future, these proven tactics help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Oklahomans are known for service, honor and kindness; it is the Oklahoma Standard. Please join us in a renewed commitment to living out the Oklahoma Standard and looking out for one another during this critical time. We are in this together. 

In Good Health,