We Honor Our Physicians on National Doctors’ Day 2021
March 30, 2021
Not all heroes wear capes. Some wear white coats, scrubs, and stethoscopes!
Today is National Doctors’ Day, and Denver Health and the Denver Health Foundation want to acknowledge the many contributions of our physicians to our patients and our community in what has been an especially difficult year. Truly, every day during this past year of the pandemic has been Doctors’ Day. Along with all of our other frontline workers, Denver Health’s more than 500 physicians have shepherded our staff and patients through the worst public health crisis in 100 years.
Doctors on the Frontlines During Coronavirus
The numbers are shocking. Since March 10, 2020, nearly 540,000 people have died in the U.S. of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). At Denver Health, we have lost 101 people to the virus, but our teams also cared for 1,910 COVID-19 survivors in our hospital and thousands more through our community health centers and telehealth options.
Jaime Moo-Young, M.D., a primary care physician in the Webb Adult Clinic, reflected on how the fight against COVID-19 has stirred up a mix of emotions. “Firstly, I have a lot of gratitude and respect for our inpatient doctors, who had a much higher risk of exposure than I had in the outpatient setting,” Dr. Moo-Young said. “For me personally, the pandemic changed how I view my career.” When classrooms went remote, she scaled back her full-time position to part-time work to care for her six-year-old son.
“I salute all the working moms, doctors included, who’ve had to make difficult decisions regarding family care versus work over the past year,” she said. Along with its many challenges, Moo-Young said the COVID-19 crisis brought valuable learning. “It forced us to reevaluate health care paradigms and think outside the box. On the outpatient side, rolling out telehealth was the biggest change. I feel like it’s been a great success, and we will continue doing it even after COVID.”
Thanking Our Doctors and Frontline Workers for their Work During the Pandemic
We would not be where we are today, with U.S. hospitalization numbers on the decline, millions vaccinated against COVID-19, and communities working on plans to get back to a sense of normalcy in our schools, businesses, and everyday lives, without our doctors.
The pandemic brought many unknowns. In the beginning, we didn’t know how best to treat it, how to protect our community and loved ones from becoming ill, or how to keep our hospitals from being overwhelmed with cases. While many people have been able to isolate themselves or work from home, our doctors showed up onsite day after day, despite physical and emotional fatigue. They risked their lives and left loved ones behind so they could provide the best care possible for our patients. Our doctors make these sacrifices each and every day. They serve our community with their expertise, hard work and compassion. This is who they are. This is their calling.
So, on this especially meaningful Doctors’ Day, Denver Health and the Denver Health Foundation are celebrating and honoring our physicians and all of our frontline workers.
We are grateful for our doctors, their support staff, and all of our frontline workers. Thank you, doctors, for the many contributions you make to our patients and our community.