A message from the President to the Salus community:
Yesterday I had the honor of commissioning one of our recent Physician Assistant graduates into the Navy. The recitation of the Oath of Office prompted me to remind the others in the room why we take an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States, against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." By last evening, those words resonated even more profoundly as we all watched in horror as a violent pro-Trump mob stormed our Nation’s Capital, incited by blatantly false claims about our election and misinformation disseminated at the highest levels of our government. This is not who we are as Americans.
Yesterday was a sad day for our country and should serve as a warning that our democracy is very fragile and cannot be taken for granted.
While I have no doubt our democracy and Constitution will fully withstand this assault on the democratic process, now is the time for all Americans to come together and put the welfare of our country first, which Congress accomplished when it reconvened and fulfilled its Constitutional obligation to certify the results of the Electoral College early this morning. There will be a peaceful transition of power on January 20th.
The siege on the Capitol was a culminating event to the last several years of inflammatory speech and provoked division that spans political, religious, racial, and socioeconomic lines. These divisions have even called into question, the law enforcement presence and management of yesterday’s mob, in comparison to this past summer’s Black Lives Matter rally of peaceful protesters. While we are not a space to remedy this, in our efforts to move forward, it is essential for all Americans, especially our elected leaders, to embrace truth, honesty, transparency, mutual respect and non-violence in all of our interactions. Those are basic principles we embrace at Salus and should expect nothing less from those representing us in government.
At Salus, we will continue to fully embrace the virtues of truth, honesty, unity and humility in our appreciation of multiculturalism through our continued efforts to employ diversity, equity and inclusion in all we do. Ultimately, we remain Salus Strong by living these tenets and continuing to care for all that require our services.
Michael H. Mittelman, OD, MPH, MBA, FACHE, FAAO
President
