Welcome aboard the roller coaster
I’m not in the health care industry, but like many who are, journalists who cover health and medicine trained and prepared (or at least tried to) for the day a pandemic might strike.
Sunday marked six months since Hamilton County’s first confirmed coronavirus case, and as I worked with my colleagues to compile a story featuring the major events that have taken place since March, it hit me how much has transpired.
One source told me this week that it wasn’t until he experienced the “roller coaster” of COVID-19 that he could grasp the gravity of the situation. Although my friends and family have so far been spared from some of the more tragic effects of the virus, I could still relate to what he said. Covering the pandemic and interviewing those who have lost loved ones, people caring for patients on the front lines and others working to control the spread of COVID-19 has been life-changing, both personally and professionally.
I don’t expect the roller coaster to end any time soon, but I also believe we’re at a turning point when it comes to health care coverage. Although the coronavirus is still the biggest story, it’s far from the only story. Health care was one of the most important issues to Americans before the pandemic, and I want to help give our readers the tools they need to navigate not only COVID-19 but the many other health challenges we face.