CANMORE – Frontline and behind the scenes workers at the Canmore General Hospital were awarded some well-deserved gratitude seven months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

• A Note From Doug Blackberry
• A Note From Doug Black And Decker
• A Note From Doug Blackburn
• A Note From Doug Blackmon
• A Note From Doug Black Friday

On Sept. 8, the local hospital staff got a letter from Senator Doug Black, notifying the team it received the Senator's Contribution Award for outstanding community contributions.

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'During the COVID-19 pandemic, you and your colleagues have stepped up to take care of our community. You put yourselves at risk to help the sick in our province and did so without hesitation,' Senator Black wrote.

'You displayed heroism and courage and made sacrifices to protect your friends and neighbours. While this is nothing new for you – our dedicated front-line workers – it is important to recognize the tremendous community contributions that you have made and continue to make.'

Canmore General Hospital Director Barb Shellian said the award was a 'complete surprise.'

'We received the letter in the mail and it was just such a great boost to the staff who have been working very hard since February in terms of the COVID-19 response. To have their work recognized was very rewarding and it came at a really good time,' she said.

• RELATED: Canmore General Hospital well prepared for COVID-19

The virus was first detected in Alberta with a presumptive case the first week of March. Within two months, positive cases jumped to more than 6,000 with more than 100 reported deaths in the province. At the time about 70 per cent of confirmed cases were in the Calgary zone.

In April, frontline workers spoke to the Outlook explaining how they were working tirelessly behind the scene on COVID-19 response plans. Part of the Canmore General Hospital pandemic preparation included creating four new isolation assessment and treatment beds, and converting two more beds into isolation beds.

There was also a dedicated area in the acute area for admitted suspected COVID-19 positive patients, separate from non-COVID patients and Canmore Fire-Rescue also set up a tent outside the hospital entrance for additional screening capacity.

“There are still going to be heart attacks and strokes, but we are fully staffed to take care of those patients as well as preparing in the background for the influx of COVID patients,' said emergency physician Dr. Kyle McLaughlin in April.

• RELATED: Canmoreite collaborates on care packages for hospital staff

As of Wednesday (Oct. 14), there were four active case in the Town of Canmore and 24 recovered cases.

'We can't take our foot off the gas, we have to keep going,' Shellian said.

'I think in terms of reflecting back on the letter and what members of the community have seen – they have seen the responsiveness, hard work and planning in keeping our community safe.'

A Note From Doug Blackberry

While thanking the doctors and nurses, the hospital director also wanted to give a shout out to the staff working behind the scenes as well, including housekeepers, the culinary team, X-ray technicians and physiotherapists – to name a few.

A Note From Doug Black And Decker

'The whole group has really contributed to the sense of we are in this together,' she said.

A Note From Doug Blackburn

'All the hard work, you know, sometimes you do it and the staff doesn't receive positive feedback – some people don't want to wear masks, or some people don't want to be screened, and they are really abusive to staff and it's disheartening [when] they are just doing their jobs.

A Note From Doug Blackmon

'To get a letter like this, to recognize what we are doing – it's very rewarding and just that pat on the back that we really need as we go into wintertime.'

A Note From Doug Black Friday

– with files from Cathy Ellis