Cleveland Hospital Execs Buy Full Page Plain Dealer Ad Cautioning Against "Covid Fatigue"

The heads of six local hospital systems purchased a full page ad that appeared in Sunday's home-delivered Plain Dealer to send a message to Northeast Ohioans stressing the importance of safe practices in light of the Covid-19 surge and cautioning against "Covid fatigue."

"We in healthcare have seen the faces of Covid-19 firsthand," the letter read. "Our doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and a host of other healthcare providers are on the front lines each day. They care for the sick and dying. They comfort family members who cannot physically be with their loved ones."

The letter was signed by Metrohealth's Akram Boutros, St. Vincent Charity Medical Center's Janice Murphy, Summa Health's Cliff Deveny, the VA's Jill Dietrich, University Hospitals' Cliff Megerian and Cleveland Clinic's Tom Mihaljevic, all of whom are the top executives at the systems they oversee.

Their message noted the "staggering" rise in cases across the country and state, reiterated basic safe practices that all Ohioans can take to prevent the spread of the virus, and echoed Gov. Mike DeWine's message "not to get complacent." It also mentioned that until an approved vaccine becomes available, individual safe practices are the "strongest tactics" in the battle against the deadly disease. 

"As we approach the end of 2020, we are encouraging everyone to help decrease the risk for spreading infection, be it coronavirus or flu," the letter read. "We must make sacrifices today — by limiting indoor gatherings — in the hope of better tomorrows."

The message is an urgent one as Ohio continues to see record-breaking case numbers and colder weather limits outdoor activities. 

After an explosion in numbers Friday, in which Ohio eclipsed 8,000 daily cases for the first time, both Saturday and Sunday saw new case totals in the 7,700-7,900 range. State hospital capacity continues to decline as increasing numbers of infected patients require serious care.

Last week, DeWine said in a statewide address that if cases continue to rise, he'd be forced into taking more serious action, including shutting down bars, restaurants and fitness centers.

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