Wrapping Up 2020

To our Laramie community:

This time of year, many of us find ourselves ready to wrap things up. Whether it is wrapping up gifts or the last of your holiday to-do’s, many of us are ready for the holidays and to leave 2020 in the rearview mirror. 

For myself, navigating the countless obstacles 2020 has thrown our way has been a learning experience. COVID-19 required us to make adjustments quickly and find new ways to shop, work, educate and communicate. At Ivinson, it changed the way we provide healthcare. We began providing virtual visits, where patients can see their provider from the comfort of their own home. We adjusted our operations to offer drive-up COVID-19 testing and continue to offer drive-up testing through the winter months. Our team adapted and so did our community. 

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on a COVID-19 vaccine with a second vaccine expected to be close behind. Both vaccines have undergone and passed several health and safety standards as well as proved effective in phase 1, 2, 3 clinical trials among tens of thousands of randomized participants. This has allowed for healthcare workers across the country to begin receiving the vaccine, including staff at hospitals in Wyoming. 

Ivinson is grateful to have the opportunity to provide our nurses, providers and staff voluntary COVID-19 vaccines as part of the initial phase of vaccine distribution. Vaccines received at Ivinson will be distributed in accordance to the State of Wyoming’s vaccine distribution guidelines which call for healthcare workers with the most frequent and direct interaction with COVID-19 patients to be vaccinated first. Many of you will have questions about the vaccine and Ivinson will be here to answer those questions. We have developed a webpage dedicated to COVID-19 vaccine availability, safety and distribution at Ivinson. This page will be continually updated to provide our community with the most relevant information as it becomes available to us. 

While this news is a pivotal step in recovering from this pandemic, now remains a crucial time to care for yourself and for your neighbor. Washing your hands, wearing a mask in public places and social distancing are all important to continue doing throughout the holidays. While coronavirus is one thing we would like to leave in 2020, it will not expire on New Year’s.

When looking back at what you accomplished in 2020, you should not be disappointed. In a year full of uncertainty, you shifted gears. You commuted from dining room tables and makeshift home offices. You took on homeschooling and distance learning. You ate and shopped local. You Zoomed and Facetimed, both for business and pleasure. You did so much this year that you had never planned on, but the job is not finished. While you wrap up your year, know that we are entering the New Year on a hopeful and optimistic note. 2020 did not defeat us, it taught us that by caring for one another, we all come out of this stronger.