"Go to China and bypass our Federal Government"

Every day, a scrum of health care professionals representing all elements of our state’s healthcare system have an off-the-record coordinating call to navigate the pandemic. It’s all business and everyone’s oar is in the water for each other. It’s a rarity to see, but the operating philosophy is “your problem is my problem”. Never in any call is there a partisan word, as the common enemy of this group is regulatory barriers that can be lessened, as we scramble against time to prepare and try to materialize supplies. It was to this last issue of supplies that someone matter-of-factly said, “Go to China and bypass our Federal Government”. It wasn’t said in a political context; it was just a “cut to the chase and solve my problem” statement. I had the feeling this was about to be the new coin of the realm in terms of pandemic phrases, such as “in an abundance of caution” and we are living in “unprecedented” times, so the only way to meet our desperate need for fundamental supplies is not going to be solved by our own government. It hit me hard and I blurted out loud, “Shame on our Government that it has abandoned us”. The group, not wanting to engage in acrimony, continued on with the business at hand. There isn’t enough time or energy as the death toll mounts, as the tsunami is headed our way. Onward, American health soldiers. The battle is joined, with no time to waste.