Valuing Virtual Healthcare
The pandemic triggered an increased in 'virtual' everything - from meetings, to healthcare appointments, to gatherings, to art gallery viewings... There are many benefits to this. During the pandemic, transitioning to virtual formats allowed us to stay connected to one another at a time when social distancing was critical for our communities. Although it was a huge learning curve, it also increased and encouraged many people to learn more about technology. People also may have been able to save money on gas when commuting, they connected to people far away, explored new activities online, were able to access their healthcare providers, etc. However, there were (and are!) many pitfalls to virtual formatting of 'life'. Not everyone has access to laptops, phones, stable internet connections, etc. Technology can also fail, and when it does, it can be incredibly frustrating. From a healthcare perspective, virtual care allowed doctors to treat patients when they were at ho