Dr. Bonnie Henry
Image Credit: FACEBOOK
May 14, 2020 - 5:30 PM
Dr. Bonnie Henry has been the face of B.C.’s COVID-19 response and she’s earned praise far beyond this province’s borders for the work she’s done to orchestrate the flattening of the curve, not to mention a shoe-homage from John Fluevog and a sizeable fan club.
That said, she admitted today, May 14, it has been a trying time.
“In terms of my own mental health, it's been challenging,” she said, when asked what she was doing in terms of self-care. “But I am somebody who runs and meditates.”
She said she is also grateful and thankful to have a "huge team" of health professionals and officials that she works very closely with.
“And that and understanding the impact that this virus has on our communities, and the measures that we have put in place and how hard it has been for many, many people…” is something she and her team collectively think about.
She added that finding moments of joy in each day is incredibly important.
“When I think about the young people in my life, when I think about the elders in my life, in my community — and I know it's the same for many people here in B.C.— it's thinking about those people who bring us joy in our life that keeps us going through this and that's what will get us through this together.”
B.C. flattened the curve of the outbreak in a month and hospitalizations have fallen steadily since the beginning of April. B.C. also has had the lowest number of per capita deaths.
Dr. Henry has been the provincial health officer for just over two years and her past experience made her well suited to the task of managing a provincial response to a pandemic. She was a leader of the response to the SARS outbreak in Toronto in 2003, and has worked to eradicate polio in Pakistan and control Ebola in Uganda.
She also authored the book Soap and Water and Common Sense, which was re-released this spring.
Many people may not have known her credits before the pandemic rolled into B.C., but few are unaware of her now and she's gained widespread respect for, among other things, reminding people daily to "be kind, to be calm, and to be safe."
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