Here we are, approaching the end of another year, but it hasn’t been just “another” year. Looking back, January 1st of 2020 seems a lifetime ago. We began 2020 with dreams of success and accomplishment. A new year should have given us a chance to shine. Then, we started hearing about a deadly virus in China. Weeks passed and the number of victims grew at an alarmingly rapid rate. And then, it happened… Coronavirus hit the United States. It started small and before we knew it, we were in the middle of a pandemic. We have seen epidemics in many different countries, but never here. Something that we thought would never happen here. In March, the world shut down. I still find it ironic, that the MOSHE President in 2020, the year of COVID-19, is an Infection Prevention Specialist.

When the shutdown happened, the hospital business changed dramatically. It certainly had a huge impact on MOSHE and it’s membership. But, we all did what we do best. We teamed up with other departments in our hospitals and set a course to deal with this epidemic. It has not been an easy journey, but we are still on it. This pandemic has forced clinical and non-clinical people to work together for the good of the patients. MOSHE has had to travel this road and navigate the detours that COVID-19 provided. MOSHE’s Board and Committees have been tasked to continue to provide the benefits that our members have come to expect, without in-person educational programs and networking lunches.

Our Education Committee rallied and learned the ropes of online education. There were a few glitches in the beginning, but the team persevered. We held our first hybrid online/in-person event for our Annual One-Day Seminar, on September 30th. To protect our members we limited attendance, enforced social distancing, and mandated mask-wearing. We were still able to offer top-quality education programming with speakers like Jim Kendig from The Joint Commission and Dave Dagenais, with Wentworth Douglas Hospital!

There were some events we had to cancel like our Annual Golf Outing and the Sponsor Appreciation Luncheon. We couldn’t provide these special networking opportunities without the support of our Sponsors and Affiliate Members. In the meantime, we are working to bridge the gap and looking forward to reviving in-person events in 2021!

COVID-19 is going to be around for a while. While a vaccine is expected any day, the general public likely won’t receive it until the Summer of 2021. This virus has shown no mercy. It has taken almost 300,000 lives in the US, including members of my family. But we must prevail. In the end, will defeat COVID-19. Until this invisible enemy is overcome, stay strong, take care of each other, be safe, and PLEASE wear a mask.