Caron’s last day spent on front line

It was soon after 9/11 in 2001 when Amy Caron began her career as a health educator. That's when things flipped into high gear for emergency preparedness.
Caron attended a week-long disaster training put on by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"I remember thinking back then that this is great training, but is this something that we'll really need in our lifetime," said Caron.
Nearly two decades later, Caron found herself leaning heavily on that FEMA training to guide her through the worst pandemic to hit in almost a century.
As the public health director for Steele and Dodge counties, Caron quickly found herself in the highest-profile position on the pandemic locally. She became the source for information on coronavirus for both residents and the local media.
"Initially, I thought it (COVID-19) would hang on for about a month," Caron said on Nov. 10, the final day of her job as public health director.
Nineteen months later, it's still hanging on with a vengeance.
Even though COVID continues to surge, Caron has decided it's time for her to move on. On Monday, she began a new position with Planned Parenthood based in Minneapolis.
"We were not prepared for the longevity of it," Caron said last week. "To keep on top of it, it's pretty tough."
During the past year and a half, Caron said she felt "increased pressure from the public" in dealing with the crisis. "We are treading in new water and we don't always have the answers… that's the tough spot," she said, adding the longer hours pushed her to more of a "mental exhaustion" in recent months.
"You never really get away from it," Caron said. "You feel like you're always on edge. You're always wondering when the other shoe is going to drop."
Nor has she been spared from criticism. Just last month, United Patriots for Accountability publicly criticized Caron for comments she made about getting vaccinated.
"The negative comments put staff down, especially when staff is already exhausted," Caron said. "It has been hard to deal with, but it makes me more passionate to get the messages out there."
As she leaves the top public health role, Caron isn't backing down from what she said all along. "We are in a pandemic of the unvaccinated," she said. "The vaccination is the strongest tool in our toolbox to helping squash this virus."
Caron hasn't deviated much from her messaging throughout the pandemic. At first, it was to wear masks, social distance and wash hands. Over the past year, the messaging has changed to getting vaccinated.
"I felt like I was a broken record," she said. "But if we don't keep saying it, people will think it's not a big deal."
High turnover in healthcare appears to be one of the casualties from COVID-19. In the public health field, directors and supervisors are leaving across the state, Caron said. "I can understand why some people are getting out of healthcare."
Despite the criticism, Caron said she tries to focus on the positives. She pointed to a letter she recently received thanking her department for the vaccine. The writer said a brother who died from COVID-19 and lamented if only he could have been vaccinated. "It's stories like that that really hit us," she said.
The worst part, Caron said, is the unknown. "There is no end date in sight (with the pandemic)," she said.
The pandemic has brought to light some negative aspects. "Our public health structure has been dwindling and crumbling over the last two decades," Caron said. "This is a wake-up call that we have to build up our system to make things better," she said, adding more public tax dollars are needed to rebuild the broken system.
On a personal basis, Caron talked about her decision to get a puppy in March 2020, providing her with therapy away from the job. She is also an avid runner, which she said allows her to clear her head. She credits a supportive family with helping her through the COVID crisis.
Caron isn't ruling out the possibility of returning to public health someday. "I believe in being a public servant and serving community members who are underserved," she said.