"๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐
๐๐๐๐๐ - ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐"
๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ง๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต๐ฉ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ต๐ข ๐๐ฐ๐ค๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฌ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต ๐๐ข๐ด๐ฌ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ
Fสษชแด แดส, Nแดแด แดแดสแดส 20, 2020
One of the most compelling things to come from Governor Doug Burgumโs COVID-19 press briefing today was not the latest numbers, or the rehash of what has happened since he implemented his statewide mask mandate. It was a thoughtful, from-the-heart speech made by a well-respected and highly accomplished small-town Doctor who grew up and still works in North Dakota.
Dr. Josh Ranum works for West River Health Services in Hettinger, which is one of the top rural health centers in North Dakota. The hospital, though small and rural, serves patients not only from all over southwest North Dakota, but it also takes patients in South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. He is also currently serving as the Vice President of the North Dakota Medical Association.
Dr. Ranum spoke honestly and frankly about what COVID-19 has done to his patients. He talked about how the virus will randomly kill one person who is otherwise healthy, and leave others with no lingering effects. It will kill the vulnerable and elderly while leaving young and previously healthy patients with long-term symptoms. He addressed the myth that the virus doesnโt affect young people, stating his wife - a Pediatrician - has patient athletes who are not able to return to sports because of long term symptoms.
And he told the North Dakotans watching his address today that not long ago, โI had 3 members from the same family pass away from COVID.โ
โI liken this virus to trying to pet a stray pit bull,โ he said. โYou might do just fine with it. Or it might rip your face off.โ
He asked us all to stay home for Thanksgiving, saying, โPlease sacrifice this holiday season so you can enjoy future holiday seasons together as a family.โ
But what was most captivating was the following words he said about how masks have become a political issue.
๐๐๐ซ๐ - ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐-๐๐จ๐ซ-๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ - ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ซ. ๐๐จ๐ฌ๐ก ๐๐๐ง๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐จ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ค๐จ๐ญ๐ ๐ญ๐จ๐๐๐ฒ:
โEarlier this week I was reminded of the Viktor Frankl idea that the statue of liberty on the east coast should be balanced by a โStatue of Responsibilityโ on the west coast. For the same reason I canโt drive 90 miles per hour on the highway or shoot my gun in town, my responsibility to society involves wearing a mask and following mitigation strategies.
Unfortunately, our new societal dividing line is 18 square inches of fabric.
A mask has become the political litmus test of the moment. Perhaps the silos, tribalism, and thought-control algorithms of social media have won.
Itโs a mask.
Iโm a fairly libertarian guy. I do not see this as an egregious assault on my personal liberties. I see this as displaced anger at the disruption, destruction, and uncertainty of the moment.
No one is coming for your guns, or - as much as I hate them - your cigarettes. Iโd be much more sympathetic to the โmask as personal freedomโ argument if a personโs mask choice only affected them. However, my mask protects you, and your mask protects me.
As the great philosopher George Costanza once said, "Weโre living in a society here."
Wearing a mask is an act of community support. Itโs protecting the vulnerable. Itโs loving your neighbor. Wearing a mask can keep kids in school and businesses open. No one wants to see businesses shut down. No one wants to see kids out of school.
Itโs about empathy, its about putting yourselves in the front-line healthcare workers shoes and seeing an onslaught of patients and not knowing if youโre going to have the resources to deal with that.
I think that is one of the things we have lost somewhere along the line (and certainly weโve lost it in 2020) is putting ourselves in the shoes of others. What may have one appearance on main street may have a different appearance in my Emergency Department or in my Clinic.
We should all take a step back, cool down and try to put ourselves in the shoes of others.
You may be at low risk of the virus, but if the health system is overrun, you may put yourself at risk for an acute illness.
In wars and crisis past, Americans and North Dakotans have banded together to do extraordinary things to meet the challenges of the era. This is one of those times. This is not a war. This is not the dust bowl. But it is a threat nonetheless.
Everyone wants this to be over. I want your business to survive. I want our kids to remain in school. I want you to be able to visit your loved one in the nursing home. I want there to be a Class B Basketball tournament next year.
In order to accomplish these things though we must stop the bleeding and get our case rate under control.โ
From 102.9 WGO Minot New Country FM
The Portion of Dr. Ranum's speech shown and quoted here begins at 40:28 at: https://www.facebook.com/ndhealth/videos/292936318633787/