The world has been living through the COVID-19 pandemic for the past year and a half, leaving many exhausted by its long-lasting effects.

No one knows that better than all of the health care heroes who work every day to keep communities healthy and to treat them when they are sick, in spite of diminishing community support and poor vaccination rates.

Esther Desimini, president of Riverside Walter Reed Hospital, reflected on the outpouring of community support that the hospital received 18 months ago when the pandemic first started. This included restaurants providing food, Girl Scouts giving cookies, and people bringing in masks.

“But over time, everybody’s now worn out, not just Riverside Walter Reed Hospital team members and our practices and our cancer center,” said Desimini.

“We’ve also seen the impact of COVID that nobody anticipated in the country or in Gloucester right for that matter 18 months ago,” said Desimini. “Little did we know we would have such workforce is...