Why can’t we all get along? “Competition and blame” is the current game.

This weekend we learned of an assassination attempt on former President Trump. Some of us saw it on TV in real time. I do not agree with Trump’s politics, yet I am very sad for him and for all of us. During my seven decades of life, I do remember any time in our modern history where we have become so polarized, so full of grievance, revenge, and entitlement. Many of us anticipated a disaster with all the political rhetoric, polarization, disrespectful communications in the media, and hateful words expressed by politicians and their supporters. We’ve become a society where truth has been replaced with factoids, misinformation, and alternate facts. Is it too late to get our country back?

"The blame game was America's most popular sport, and victimhood its most fashionable garb." Frank Bruni

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we live, work, and socialize. Rates of anxiety, depression, and substance abuse have increased since the beginning of the pandemic. School children and young adults are affected by social media use and isolation. For older adults, highly vulnerable to the health effects of the virus, it's been an especially difficult journey. As the world adjusted to a new normal, older Americans faced many disruptions to their daily lives such as social isolation, health worries, financial uncertainty, and the loss of loved ones.

“You’ve been wronged, but does it make it right?” According to Frank Bruni: In the case of certain grievances, we're basically saying, "I know what's right. I know the truth and how dare you disagree with me?” Every party, sex, race, sexual orientation or class seems to say: “They feel cheated. They feel disrespected. They’re peeved unless they’re outright furious.” The aggrieved on all sides “have lost — or lost interest in — the ability to see beyond their slights to a common good in which they don’t get all that they want. Grown-ups are supposed to be able to compromise. “If we can’t relate to people who aren’t just like us,” Bruni pleads, “if empathy is an illusion and attempts to muster it are insults, if we’re a hodgepodge of rival grievances rather than a team of unified aspirations, how can we prosper and how can we endure?” It’s time to consider what we can do together, find common ground, learn to listen, and with humility, not take ourselves so seriously.

Case Medical worked with Intuitive Surgical when they needed us during the pandemic and when their wrapped tray system was recalled for torn wrappers and potentially compromised loads. They asked us for help, and we were there for them. We didn’t charge them for the development of the system, but met their needs with something all of you needed and they wanted at the time. Now, they continue to deny that our containers with their scope and camera system were ever validated in STERRAD Sterilizers. We have their congratulations in multiple emails for a successful outcome. Just like the harmful rhetoric in politics, business driven by competition and misinformation can be thoughtless. Here is a link to the 510K showing the clearance for our SteriTite container system in the STERRAD 100NX Duo and Express cycle using our SC05WG container, with their scope and camera set received with Intuitive's support. Still not sure if we are truly validated? Click here. And yes, the SteriTite container system is fully validated for use in Steris V-Pro sterilizers. Click here to reach our IFU. Case Medical believes in truthful information, cooperation and science.

Visit us anytime at www.casemed.com to learn more about our products and services. We are here to help. Case Medical is a U.S. EPA SAFER CHOICE Partner or the Year for Manufacturer Formulator and recognized in NJ as Innovative Manufacturer of the Year.

Kindest Regards,

Marcia Frieze and the Case Medical team