Letter: Thanks, Vail Health and Eagle County, for Leading the Way

This letter first appeared in the Vail Daily on April 27, 2020

I am so appreciative of our state and local governments for looking forward. We all acknowledge the gravity of all that is happening; the impact is widespread and heartbreaking. None of us will come out of this untouched or will lose sight of the human cost. In the midst of everything, we must also look forward.

Vail Health has done an extraordinary job of managing the crisis. All one has to do is look at how the stats, most notably how the number of COVID-19 cases in Eagle County, has dropped remarkably and the hospital is virtually empty.  As Franklin Roosevelt said during the midst of another dark crisis, “… More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment. Our greatest primary task is to put people to work. This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously.” 

Thank you, Vail Health and Eagle County, for leading the way and bringing us out of lockdown strategically, purposefully and courageously.

Barbara Scrivens, Vail