They're on the frontline. We merely support them.

VACEP President Scott Hickey, interviewed in the Times-Dispatch on the effort to combat COVID-19.

We have proudly supported the Virginia College of Emergency Physicians with communications support over the past few years. Mostly, this was in the form of advocacy before the General Assembly, member commutations, website updates — things of that nature.

Then, coronavirus. And we found ourselves with a client — partner, rather — on the front lines of a growing pandemic.

It’s weird how things evolve. When America first started taking the novel coronavirus seriously — which, for many, was late February and early March — we pitched two emergency physicians to the local morning show. We packed into a tiny green room with several other guests (can you imagine that now?) and the physicians, when it was their turn, went on and discussed the emerging threat. That was March 5…how little we knew then. See the spot.

Then lockdowns hit, and our email and phone lines started exploding. CBS This Morning out of New York, even the BBC in the United Kingdom. That interview with a Virginia physician was scheduled, but had to be delayed as the prime minister went into the ICU with COVID-19 symptoms. (In what world are we living in where your Virginia-based client gets bumped by the UK prime minister’s health condition?)

One of our favorite client media stories, ever, was this piece in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by reporter Eric Kolenich, with photos by Bob Brown. Eric and Bob took readers inside the world of what it’s like to serve on the frontline in a war with an invisible enemy. We’re proud of our work, but more proud of our partners at VACEP.