Throughout its almost 120 year history, Edgewater has weathered different public health crises as a community from tuberculosis to polio and measles. Even some of the porches, or “sleeping porches,” in homes around Edgewater can be tied to the tuberculosis treatment that occurred around the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society that was on the campus of what is now Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design.
Now that Coronavirus (COVID-19) is quickly spreading throughout the world and the United States, what is our response as an Edgewater community?
At the outset, let me be clear I am not a medical professional, so I will not claim expertise in those areas. I did work for Jefferson County Public Health long enough to know that we should listen to public health officials and their recommendations for how to contain the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
By now you have heard many of the recommendations surrounding protecting yourself and others. You can read more on the Jefferson County Public Health website here or the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment website here.
Over the last eight years I have spend time listening to those who have lived in our community much longer than me. Those who share stories of living in Edgewater before World War II, lived through the Baby Boom that doubled the population of Edgewater and invested time and energy into making Edgewater the place it is today.
These are members of our community who are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. Experts are saying that those of us that are younger or who do not have serious chronic medical conditions would rebound if we contracted COVID-19. But the decisions that the rest of us make can have life or death ramifications for those that live on our streets and who have created the Edgewater that we love.
We might think that it is no big deal to continue life as normal because the risk is very low for us. But it is times like these that we have to look beyond ourselves and think about how our actions impact others. This is how a great small town community operates. We care about those who live among us who are struggling with anxiety at the simplest of tasks like going to King Soopers to get needed groceries. We care about the employees whose business has been cut back because of the impacts of less customers in their stores or events being canceled. We care about the single parent who has to go to work while their kids are home from school. We care about the police officer, health care professional and retail worker who doesn’t have the opportunity to work from home.
The next month or two will disrupt life as we know it. For some the impacts won’t be large, but for others this will be a serious hit to finances and lifestyle. Businesses will struggle and some might close. Employees might be let go or see their hours cut back.
Crisis offers the chance to show the best of a community or the worst and most often a mixture of both. So Edgewater, let’s work hard to make sure that this Coronavirus crisis shows more of the best of our community.
Call your neighbor who is more at risk for serious medical consequences from COVID-19 and just check in. Be mindful of your own mental health and anxiety through this crisis and engage in healthy activities. Take a walk around town, maintain social distance and talk to your neighbors. Find safe ways to support your local business by buying a gift card or merchandise online. Show patience and say thank you to the retail workers at King Soopers, Target or other local retailers as you shop for essentials. And most of all, think of how your decision to go grab a meal, shop for fun or continue your life as you normally would could have life or death consequences for one of your Edgewater neighbors (click here for more on how you can help “flatten the curve”).
This truly is a chance for us as Edgewater neighbors to put the needs of our entire community above our individual desires. And then once we weather this crisis like our community has for over 100 years, we will come together once again as an Edgewater community as raise a glass to the best small town in Colorado.
Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.
A very excellent memo. Keep them coming. Tell us positive stories.
Thank You
Thank you for your thoughtful perspective.