As I write this column Highland census is high as it has been for many weeks. Although we are seeing fewer and much less severe cases of COVID, its effects are still lingering. Some patients who could be returning to nursing homes are still in our hospital because they remain testing positive or because nursing home beds are full. Patients who have postponed elective surgeries are now filling our ORs. And with the Fall, comes the concern for the flu, which could be more pernicious this year since masking requirements have been lifted in more and more places. We also must be on the lookout for monkeypox and the unexpected polio outbreak in New York. But we have faced the worst of times and we have the strength and commitment to face whatever comes our way.