We believe we are surrounded by real-life superheroes here in The Woodlands. These superheroes are everyday people who live among us and serve on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.
As a tribute, Rusty’s Garage has put together a Superhero Spotlight of four individuals who are working hard to keep our community healthy and safe. Allow us to introduce you to them:
Dr. Jim Mathis is an orthopedic surgeon who has been serving The Woodlands and Tomball communities for 17 years. Dr. Mathis says that fortunately, the medical staff in our geographic area are not lacking protective gear or equipment needed to fight the Coronavirus. He urges us to be smart, take care of others within our community, and be good about washing your hands. Thoughts and prayers are always welcomed, but Dr. Mathis says the best way to support the community overall is to support local businesses as much as you can.
Chris Mitcham is a Lieutenant with The Woodlands Fire Department. As a firefighter, he has seen different challenges and a hyper-awareness when responding to medical calls during the pandemic. For example, they changed their response protocol over 6 weeks with extra staffing units to reduce the number of encounters with possible COVID patients. He urges people to stay at home as much as possible and refrain from going out for nonessential purposes to lower the risk of infection.
Shali Palmer is a Physical Therapist Assistant who is serving on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis. Though she is doing physical therapy with non-COVID patients, don’t think that her life is easy. She travels in her car to her patients’ homes. Both she and the patients are wearing Personal Protective Equipment in order to see each other, which is challenging because physical therapy is usually hands-on rehabilitation. Shali offers ideas on how the community can support the front line workers and how to stay healthy during the pandemic.
Lori Weber is a Clinical Dietitian who works at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center. Although she is not a nurse, she is still very much a part of the support staff that helps a hospital run. Lori encourages us to wear masks to keep us safer and reduce the risk of exposure. She also reminds us that policies, procedures, and our daily lives are changing constantly, so that creates a lot of stress. So, the best way to support our community is to be more understanding of each other and show kindness.
RUSTY’S GARAGE THANKS OUR SUPERHEROES!
If you are serving on the front lines during the COVID-19 era, working hard to supply us with groceries, tending to us when we are sick, keeping us safe, and making the best out of an uncertain situation, the team at Rusty’s Garage salutes you. Thank you for your service. You are all superheroes, and we appreciate you tremendously.