No doubt about it, 2020 has been a challenging and heartbreaking year on so many fronts. But it has also been a year marked with kindness, courage and remarkable achievements. As the holiday season draws near with COVID-19 still raging on, I am doing my best to focus on the rays of light that I am grateful for in these dark times.
The team I have the privilege and pleasure to work with at VHA and the ways they have responded to this crisis to keep themselves and our clients and families safe is certainly the brightest of these lights. I have been inspired by the resilience and huge hearts of our care providers and the support they have given to hard-hit long-term care homes, efforts to deliver service in new and better ways, collaboration with partners to provide outstanding care in communities, and the stories of incredible unpaid caregivers who play such a critical and unsung role in our health care system. These stories and countless others remind me of the strength and compassion that is at the core of VHA and our many partners.