What Do We Need This Year? A Healthy Dose of Optimism

Just keep swimming.

— Dory in the film Finding Nemo

Health is something many of us tend to take for granted — until we can’t anymore. The pandemic has changed all of that.

Every day for the past year, everyone on the planet has been forced to think about what could be on the surface of anything we touch, how long we wash our hands, how often we put our fingers in our faces, what symptoms to watch out for, where to buy toilet paper, where our friends and family members have been, how to properly wear a mask, how and where to get a test, how and where to get a vaccine … and so many other burning questions.

In a normal year, this issue of the magazine, which features a theme of Health Care and Finance, would be about high-tech innovative medical breakthroughs being invented in Central Florida. Instead, it’s 2021 and we’re bringing you articles about high-touch health and wellness initiatives that are making our community a better place while we fight the pandemic.

I don’t know about you, but even today I sometimes just stop and stare at the television in disbelief. It’s still inconceivable that one virus has so profoundly changed life all over the globe. I’ve had conversations with friends and family about how the pandemic is affecting people’s health. We’ve been dealing with the physical effects — some of us grappling with extra “COVID-19 pounds” even if we’ve been fortunate enough to avoid the virus itself. More and more, we’re hearing about the mental health effects and their complications.

When I interviewed one of the health care professionals in our cover story, Dr. Donald Plumley of Orlando Health, we had the same kind of conversation. “If you had told me this would still be going on in December when we heard about it in March … I’m kind of glad we didn’t know,” he told me. “We would’ve been super-depressed.”

We talked about how this battle is different from others the world has faced, like World War II, when people not only had to ration food but also worry about their homes getting bombed or their loved ones not coming home. “This doesn’t compare,” the doctor said. “But in our generation, and especially in my kids’ generation, this is the worst we’ve faced.”

That’s why we want to bring you some positive news in this issue. Read about the way Orlando Health has helped local organizations get back to work with its Business Ready program. Learn about the new “health park” concept AdventHealth has rolled out in Osceola County and its plans to expand. Read about WeCare tlc, a local company that operates clinics for progressive employers in 10 states, keeping workers healthy and medical costs lower. And learn about ways businesses in our region are helping people better face health challenges through long-term care planning, at-home exercise equipment and boating for recreation.

With a focus on the positive, we will all get through this together ... in our own separate ways.

Have a great month!

Editor and Publisher