Opinion Pieces

Originally published in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

In the past few weeks, Ohioans have felt their daily lives fundamentally shift. The global pandemic of COVID-19 and the resulting health, economic, and social impacts have driven our country and the world into painfully uncertain and uncharted waters.

While it is normal to have concerns, we must avoid giving in to our worst impulses. As a doctor and a combat surgeon who served in Iraq, I have seen firsthand the benefit of remaining calm during chaos. We have opportunities before us. No one in the world was truly prepared for this global pandemic, but, as a country and as individuals, we have the power to choose our response. History is being written right now, and as we strive to respond swiftly, responsibly, and compassionately, there are crucial things we can do that will help us in that process.

We must come together. As I have written before, during times of turmoil, it is critical that we unite, hold onto our humanity, and pull together — not apart. As a nation, this means moving swiftly to continue implementing collaborative measures through local, state, and federal levels of government. Prevention and preparation are the keys to containing the spread of the virus in the U.S. and to ensuring our hospitals and healthcare systems have the capacity to meet new demands. So far, Congress has enacted two coronavirus response bills to expand access to free testing for patients who need it and help Americans keep their jobs by increasing support for paid sick and family leave. This is just the beginning.

Individually, we each have a role to play in being part of the solution as well. Even if we are not part of a high-risk demographic, we must still follow CDC guidelines to minimize social contact in order to protect our neighbors, loved ones, and those in our communities who are most vulnerable right now. We can continue, in safe and healthy ways, to support our local small businesses and nonprofits. We can fly our flags high like Governor DeWine recommended. We can treat others with kindness. We can thank our healthcare workers, grocery store workers, food suppliers, truck drivers, and everyone who is on the frontlines of keeping our communities healthy, functioning, and safe.

As well, we can draw strength from the past. In our midst, we have an incredible example of fortitude in the generation who lived through World War II. They endured the tremendous distress and uncertainty of an entire globe at war. Families hugged their dads, brothers, and sons goodbye, with no cellphones or Facetime or breaking news push alerts, and would not hear from them again for months, if at all. We repurposed our factories. There was strict rationing of milk, bread, and other necessities. No home went without some sacrifice for the war effort. Entire neighborhoods had gold stars decorating the service flags hanging in each window, representing the loved ones who weren’t coming home.

And through it all, Americans carried on. We pulled together. We did what needed to be done in order to adapt and overcome. Though what we face today is not the same challenge, today's generations can draw from the resilience and perseverance of these heroes in our midst. Now is the time to earn, in part, their sacrifices. Now is the time to show what we are made of and do our part to protect the most vulnerable among us — the elderly, those with preexisting conditions, and those who lack access. We value all human life and are willing to make the sacrifices to keep our neighbors safe.

As always, let us work for a better today and for a better future. This gritty optimism is part of our DNA as Americans. No war, tragedy, terrorism, or pandemic can erase our ultimate, unshakable belief that, as masters of our own destinies, we have the ability to create a brighter tomorrow for those who will come after us. In confronting today's pandemic, we must harness the power of American innovation and entrepreneurship. Hand sanitizer is now flowing from our distilleries, masks are being sewn by the fashion industry, and automotive plants are retooling to forge ventilators. The Portsmouth-based Sole Choice shoe manufacturer has stepped up and is producing the bands that secure medical masks. These are the Americans who rise to any occasion and are stepping up to support our doctors and nurses on the front lines.

Now is not the time to allow partisan politics or media hysteria to fuel division and anxiety. Now is not the time for price gouging of needed products. Now is the time to come together and take action to protect the most vulnerable in our communities, to draw strength from the resilience of those who have gone before us, and to keep innovating for a better and brighter future for our country and for the world. The future may be uncertain and the hardships many, but I am confident in this: we will get through this crisis the same way Americans have gotten through every time of tragedy or challenge in our past – by staying strong and staying united. 

As we work through this and mend our flaws, may we be able to look back and say that this was one of our “finest hours.”