The holiday season is a time of giving and a time of gathering; it is a time when we get to take a break from our busy lives and come together with family, friends, neighbors and coworkers to bring each other warmth and joy.

At Door County Medical Center, we realize how much more important gathering with family and friends during the holidays has become for everyone as we mark nearly two years of living with the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19. In that time, coming together to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of a new year has become difficult to say the least.

Throughout the course of the pandemic, I have felt nothing but gratitude and pride for everything the staff at Door County Medical Center has accomplished. COVID-19 has brought many changes to DCMC—in the past year we have stretched the hospital’s capacity, expanded coronavirus testing capabilities, provided access to all authorized COVID-19 treatments and held Facebook Q&As to keep the Door County community up to date on pandemic developments.  Beyond the pandemic, we have also adapted to higher emergency room and inpatient volumes, and a more difficult environment in which to transfer patients who need a higher level of care.

Implementing all of these steps requires resiliency and flexibility, and our staff has managed to adapt to a multitude of adjustments and changes, all while providing the same high-quality care for all the other non-COVID-19 related illnesses and ailments that occur in any given year. Day in and day out, our employees have carried out our mission to further the healing ministry of Jesus Christ in all of the communities we serve.

And that tireless dedication to DCMC’s mission extends to community outreach, education and vaccination. Because of the efforts of our staff, in coordination with Door County Public Health, Door County has the second highest vaccination rate in Wisconsin, at 71% (according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services). All of the extraordinary measures that the DCMC staff has taken to keep us healthy and to get the vaccine as widely distributed as possible have helped to ensure that many of us will be able to safely gather once again this holiday season.

This year, perhaps more than any other, we come to appreciate that there is no better gift during the holiday season than to be able to spend time with your loved ones. On behalf of all of us at Door County Medical Center, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year.

Sincerely,
Brian Stephens