Back in an early April, 2020 issue of The Rangeley Highlander, (April 3rd to be exact) when our quarantining and masking to prevent the spread of the Covid 19 virus was still a relatively new experience….I wrote about those who were on my mind a lot; 1) Our sons and their young families in Colorado, 2) My wife’s elderly parents (aged 92 and 94) in an assisted living facility in south Jersey….and 3) The already over-worked, and at-risk, staff members working in the already crowded intensive care units of Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland.

Why was this latter group on my mind a lot, you may have thought?

The first two groups need no explanation of course. The third group, as I explained in April, was in one of the areas I and my fine physical therapist staff spent a lot of time, and functioned as valuable team members, as we worked to evaluate, support and increase the physical mobility of a wide range of conditions and diagnoses throughout the medical center. Our role in the intensive care units was often the most challenging, and where working as integral team members was of paramount importance.

In the first weeks of the pandemic, the focus was on just keeping the new Covid patients alive. How to best medically manage this new virus that attacks the lungs the hardest was the primary challenge of the team. Therefore, I was thinking most about the nursing staff, the medical residents and attending medical staff, and the respiratory therapists who managed the ventilators and other pulmonary (lung) equipment.

How to best express my support from the Maine Woods, 2 1/2 hours north of MMC, was a difficult and frustrating quandary. I then saw a story in the Portland Press Herald about a number of restaurants who were delivering meals to the intensive care units at the hospital. Generous folks were ordering pre-established “packages” for a price and having them delivered to 22 Bramhall Street, MMC’s address, which were then hustled up to the overworked, Covid 19 units. The most popular one, the article stated was the multiple cheeseburger meals packed up by a favorite restaurant on Forest Avenue.

I did not hesitate. I ordered the $100 box of their cheeseburgers and fries and had it delivered anonymously. Less than a month later, I learned that a number of retired physical therapists, most of whom were on my staff during my years at MMC, (1974-1991) Had themselves learned that the current PT staff was increasingly being called upon to be an integral part of the Covid “front line” as well. Their role in the ICU, as the patients time in those critical care units, (and many of whom were on ventilators), became more and more important in terms of strengthening muscle groups in preparation for gait (walking) training, if appropriate, to help hasten their overall recovery time.

That “retired MMC physical therapist group”, having become lifelong friends (of which I am a “member” and on the email list now numbering about 25), but live too far away from the Portland area to make it to very many of our near-monthly breakfast gatherings that have evolved over the past three or four years, pre-Covid, at a local restaurant), took up a quick collection and provided and delivered a favored Amato’s Sandwich Shop lunch to all the therapists in the medical rehabilitation department. Note: occupational therapists and speech-language pathologists also had an important role in helping to provide specialized care for many Covid patients. Word came back that the lunch was very, very much appreciated by all of the rehab therapists.

Fast-forward to this past pre-Thanksgiving week. The impending resurgence of coronavirus cases in our state, as predicted by epidemiologists, especially Dr. Nirev Shah, Maine’s leading expert in communicable diseases, was beginning to explode. “Maine Hospitalizations at Record High” ran a Maine newspaper’s headline recently.

Another appreciative lunch delivery was mobilized. The last I heard, we had gathered well over $300 for a holiday lunch (or two) thanks to a very ample gift card for another delivery of those great Amatos “original Italian sandwiches” that has undoubtedly been happily devoured by now by a socially-distanced group of very professional, and hard-working rehab therapists!

Locally, while we don’t have an intensive care unit-equipped hospital nearby, we do have many Rangeley Region folks who have been identified as “essential workers” by the government back in February when the first “stay at home” and personal protection guideline directives were beginning across the country. There are a number of categories that include our fellow Rangeley area residents. Public safety professionals and volunteers come to mind first, such as law enforcement, firefighters, and emergency medical teams, as well as childcare workers, fuel-delivery workers, and many others.

While we may not have the occasion to need the services of all of the identified categories on a regular and frequent basis, there is one group that we all do need on a frequent basis….the food delivery workers. Most frequently visited is our largest food market….the Rangeley IGA. Along with those frequent trips to this fine store and its equally fine, and hard-working, staff….comes many opportunities to thank those who are responsible for safely providing each of us with the food we have needed over the past year….and certainly the first half of 2021 at least until we turn the corner as a nation in our collective fight against this very contagious virus by following the science-based recommendations.

Bob Wentworth, the owner of the IGA, has assembled a staff comprised of our very own neighbors who have been doing their important work these past months. Mounted in the entryway of the IGA is a statement that many probably have not read, or even noticed (see photo). It went up well before any of us had even heard of Covid-19. I am providing the text here, for you to read. Its stated commitment has become even more important in 2020:

Dear Customers,

As you enter our store, know that we are extremely proud to be an IGA 5-Star Store. This means we get inspected 4 times a year to ensure compliance with IGA Industry standards, and we have met IGA’s continuing education standards for our associates. I am very proud of the facility that we offer, but most proud of our people. If your experience does not meet your expectations, please contact us through our web-based system. You will find this information at the bottom of your sales receipt.

Sincerely,
Robert Wentworth
Owner

There you have it. I have for months looked to those employees with heightened appreciation. I have expressed that appreciation verbally on occasion…and non-verbally every time I enter the store (honest!). I am hereby saying thank you to Bob and his entire staff with these printed words. I encourage you to express your appreciation in some way going forward.

The next few months are going to be a challenge for us all. Perhaps the best way to express your appreciation is by complying with all the safety guidelines put forth locally and nationally, when in the store (and around town, for that matter). AND in doing so, please also keep in mind all the other “essential workers” in the Rangeley Region who are doing their part to take care of us in their own way, and to insure our safety in so doing. Thank you.

We need to write, otherwise nobody will know who we are.

Garrison Keillor

Respect Science, Respect Nature,

Respect Each Other, and Respect the Truth.

Per usual, your thoughts and comments are appreciated. Simply fire off an email to me at allenwicken@yahoo.com.

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