Though the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer as prevalent as it was three years ago, the impacts it brought are still being felt specifically within the healthcare community.
CareArc Community Health Manager Melissa Smith, while procedures and policies have returned to a sense of normalcy following the three-year anniversary of the first Lyon County COVID patient, it is evident the pandemic has permanently altered the public’s perception of medicine and health care in general. She says it is clear trust in medicine is not where it was three years ago and she attributes this trend largely to the virus becoming “politicized” over the course of the pandemic.
Smith tells KVOE News the initial transition to pandemic operations was difficult both personally and professionally for her. She says the “build up” back to more normal procedures has not been without difficulty as the health center continues to see a dip in patient traffic for various services.
On a bright note, Smith says the pandemic did bring about changes in healthcare that she believes have been highly beneficial for both providers and patients alike. She points to telehealth as a prime example of this and adds the pandemic did open the health center’s eyes to the importance of a full community response to major community health concerns.
