Our national health care system, which was broken going into the pandemic, is being broken down even further. Due to the triumvirate of COVID, RSV and the flu, available hospital beds all over Oregon are down to the lowest capacity since the onset of the pandemic. Nationally, health care workers have left the profession in droves due to sickness, burnout and trauma. Suicides among our health care workers have gone up dramatically as well. Health officials in Oregon are practically begging citizens to resume masking in crowded public places due to this critical situation.
Lockdowns are not going to fly, nor are masking mandates, that much is obvious. We all want to get back to whatever reality we perceived as normal before the pandemic, but how many of us are willing to take a close heartfelt look at the toll this has taken on the heroes who have, and are still working in the healthcare system?
I’m not here to suggest what any of us should or should not be doing about this awful reality. Only our conscience can do that.
Neil S. Burton
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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