Editor’s Note

THE ‘SHOW’ MUST GO ON

WE ALL ANTICIPATED IT was coming but that doesn’t make it any less hard. That ‘it’ is Canada’s second wave of COVID-19, which is looking a lot different than the first. Testing capacity has drastically improved and our stocks of personal protective equipment have grown. More young people are being infected, who usually have milder or no symptoms, and hospitalizations and deaths are lower so far. We also know a lot more about the virus and how to treat it; however, the number of contacts per case is much higher than in the first wave, which is a troubling sign. Then there’s the unpredictable nature of COVID-19 and warnings that winter weather could increase its spread.

Now more than seven months in, the pandemic continues to disrupt our lives and work in ways that were once unimaginable. Few, if any, would have ever contemplated that CHES’s annual national conference could be derailed; however, the executive committee had no choice but to defer the esteemed event until 2021, just as the individual chapters did with their local conferences. This did not postpone presentation of the CHES Awards of Excellence, though it looked different than in years past to adjust to the realities of our ‘new’ world.

In a series of ceremonies held on different days, each with a virtual component, the recipients were honoured. The Interlake-Eastern Region Health Authority was bestowed the Wayne McLellan Award of Excellence in Healthcare Facilities Management for Selkirk Regional Health Centre, which has changed the way healthcare is delivered in rural Manitoba. Long-time CHES member Ron Durocher was recognized with the Hans Burgers Award for Outstanding Contribution to Healthcare Engineering. He has served on every Ontario chapter conference planning committee for the past 12 years, with the exception of one, as well as in countless roles at both the local and national level. The President’s Award went to CHES Maritime for the second consecutive year. This is the third time the chapter has received the accolade, nudging out the others in the friendly competition.

These awards are the main focus of this issue in which we pay tribute to the recipients and all they’ve achieved. While the pandemic has uprooted so much, it has also shone a light on how important it is to continue to recognize those that so rightly deserve it.

Clare Tattersall claret@mediaedge.ca

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