All across the country, the coronavirus pandemic threw into sharp relief the unbelievably important role hospitals and their doctors and nurses play in our local communities.

But throughout the pandemic, we also learned the true definition of “essential worker,” understanding fully perhaps for the first time the importance of everyone from custodians to food service workers to volunteers play in keeping places like hospitals running so they can serve us.

Hopefully, we have learned that those folks all are important all the time, not just in the middle of devastating public health emergencies.

Now, hospitals like MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena offers a way to say thanks to all of those folks who help keep us healthy, safe, and comfortable.

The hospital has joined the Grateful Patients program, allowing patients or loved ones of patients to visit mymichigan.org/gratefulpatient to add to a virtual wall of thanks for individuals by name or the hospital crew in general.

We’re glad to see folks at the hospital get the recognition we deserve, and we urge everyone to check out the new portal and offer their appreciation to the crew.

The same should be done for workers at McDonalds, Burger King, Culvers, Taco Bell, etc. Without them, many of us would have struggled through the pandemic without a well-cooked meal. So, take a moment when you are receiving your order to thank the person handing it to you.

Another group that deserves that same level of courtesy is employees of ice rinks, basketball gyms, and sports complexes. They had to clean up after us at the rink or the gym, oftentimes having to use large amounts of disinfectants or UV lighting to keep locker rooms clean.

Keep them in mind and thank them when you can.