COVID-19 “Day of Reflection and Healing” on April 27th

Little Rock, Arkansas – The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement brought forth the idea of a “Day of Reflection and Healing” for those affected by COVID 19.

This day of acknowledgment is set to take place on April 27th.

“Over the past two years, Arkansas has felt the impact of the pandemic in many ways. To date, more than 11,000 Arkansans have died as a result of COVID-19. Community and faith leaders have an opportunity now to help Arkansans process the traumas and human losses we have experienced during the pandemic,” the ACHI board said.

According to The ACHI board, even though we are returning back to normal daily activities that it is still important to acknowledge and recognize the lasting effect and loss that has happened due to the pandemic.

Nearly 2,000 Arkansas children have lost at least one parent or caretaker, and many have lost someone they know to COVID-19. Even though the numbers have slowed down we are still experiencing losses today because of this virus.

The board shared that many families were also unable to see their loved ones or join together to mourn the loss due to COVID restrictions.

“Due to multiple waves of infection brought on by the arrival of new variants and the ongoing spread of the virus in our communities, we, unfortunately, have had little opportunity to stop and recognize our collective loss. Many were unable to be with their loved ones in hospitals or nursing homes when they passed away, and the pandemic often prevented families and communities from coming together to mourn those they lost. We all want to move on from the pandemic, but in our rush to return to normalcy we may have robbed ourselves of the time we need to process the many layers of trauma that we’ve experienced over the past two years,” the ACHI board said.

Their goal is for this day to help support those who are still healing and coping.

“I call on our members to work with local faith leaders to organize activities on the 27th,” Arkansas Municipal League Executive Director Mark Hayes, said.

“I urge leaders across the state to heed our board’s call,” said ACHI President and CEO Dr. Joe Thompson. “A pandemic is different from most disasters in that it does not have a clearly defined point where the tragedy ends and healing can begin. For the sake of our mental health, we need to take time to pause and reflect on what we’ve been through and the people we’ve lost.”