Canyonland Quilts would like to thank all the businesses that participated in the “Breast Cancer Awareness Raffle” Canyonland Quilts, Moab Coffee Roasters, Moab Rock Shop, Moab Gear Trader, The Little Suitcase, Moab Barkery, My Favorite Apron, Desert Dreams, City Market and Knowles Home Furnishings. The proceeds for the Raffle all went to the “Moab Health Care Foundation”, the money all goes to gas cards for local citizens that need to travel for cancer treatment out of town. There was a lot of interest, the raffle tickets were sold from October to November 23. We were able to generate $625.00 for the Foundation. There is a federal grant that the foundation works with that will triple the amount donated. We are grateful for all the donations.

We started off the raffle with the 2nd annual Quilting Spooktacular 2020, in October, and drew for the raffle winner at the Jubilee of Quilts, November 2020. Congratulations to Adrienne More from Castle Valley, the raffle winner. Canyonland Quilts is already looking forward to 2021 for another raffle/fundraiser to generate funds that help with cancer treatment travels.

Procrastination is not typically considered a good thing. But as the world spent much of 2020 confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, putting certain things on hold became part of the new normal.

In an effort to reduce infection rates, public health officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization urged people to limit their in person interactions with people outside of their own households. As a result, many of the things people do on a regular basis, including seeing their physicians for wellness visits, were rescheduled.

It's understandable that many people postponed preventive care and wellness visits during the pandemic, but it's also potentially dangerous. For example, researchers with the Health Care Cost Institute found that childhood vaccinations declined by roughly 60 percent in mid-April 2020 compared with 2019. Other screenings and preventive exams, including mammograms, pap smears and colonoscopies, also declined by significant percentages during the pandemic compared to the previous year.

The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion notes the power of preventive care is undeniable. In fact, the NCCDPHP points out that, while chronic diseases are among the most common and costly of all health problems, they're also among the most preventable. Annual wellness visits and early detection efforts like routine screenings for at-risk populations can uncover problems before they escalate into something more serious. In addition, annual physicals, which are provided free of charge through many health insurance policies, provide great opportunities for doctors to advise patients on their overall health and how to improve it if exams and blood work turn up any red flags.

Visiting a doctor during the pandemic
As vital as preventive care can be, it's understandable if people are hesitant to visit their doctors during the pandemic. But patients can take certain steps to calm their nerves about booking preventive care appointments during the pandemic.

Schedule telemedicine appointments. The number of telemedicine appointments has skyrocketed during the pandemic. While the transition from predominantly in-person appointments to telemedicine might have been a reluctant and rocky one at the start of the pandemic, many doctors' offices have since firmly established their telemedicine protocols. The Mayo Clinic advises patients who have not yet tried telemedicine to contact their doctors' offices to arrange an appointment.

Inquire about office procedures. Doctors try to keep patients healthy, not get them sick. Various medical organizations, including the American Academy of Family Physicians, have provided thorough checklists to help physicians prepare their offices to welcome patients during the pandemic. Patients can ease their concerns by contacting their doctors' offices and asking them about their pandemic-related protocols.

Don't hesitate to make requests. There's no such thing as being too safe from COVID-19, so patients can work with their doctors to calm their fears even further. Ask to pay copays over the phone and request that the front desk call you when the doctor is ready so you don't have to sit in the waiting room.

Preventive care is an important component of health care, even during a pandemic.

The importance of shopping locally has been emphasized with increasing urgency in recent years. Events like Small Business Saturday and Plaid Friday have brought some much-needed attention to the importance of shopping local, which is even more crucial now as so many small businesses try to survive the pandemic.

A poll from the trade group the National Federation of Independent Business reported that about half of all the businesses in the survey reported a 25 percent drop in sales since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, and roughly one in five businesses have seen sales decline by more than 50 percent. If the economic climate does not radically improve, 20 percent of small businesses won't survive.

According to NBC News, small businesses employ 60 million people in the United States, almost half of the nation's private-sector employees. In addition, small businesses generate tax revenues that help communities by funding schools, maintaining parks and contributing to public safety programs. However, based on research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, even before COVID-19 spread across the world, only 20 percent of healthy small businesses had sufficient cash reserves to continue to operate if they experienced a revenue loss for two months. Some have been shuttered for much longer.

Individuals looking for everything from clothing to home improvement services to office supplies can look to small businesses to fill those needs.

Look for small businesses for any and all of your shopping needs. Chances are items sold by big box retailers also are sold by small businesses. When the options are the same or similar, purchase from a small business instead of its big box competitor.

Readily provide recommendations of small businesses with which you have done business. Too often people are quick to complain about places that have failed them, but those same people don't think to say kind words about companies that went above and beyond. Share great experiences on social media or through word of mouth.

Talk to small businesses owners first if you have an issue. It's tempting to go directly to social media to complain about something, but such complaints can have a dire impact. Always take issues to the manager or business owner first to see if a resolution can be reached. A manager may not be aware of an issue at all. Give small businesses a chance to make it right before taking things public.

If you own a small business, rely on other small businesses to fulfill your needs. Order supplies from fellow small business owners, seek the help of local financial advisors and tax professionals and use local suppliers and delivery personnel.

Small businesses have experienced unprecedented setbacks due to COVID-19. By supporting small businesses, communities can help them regain stable footing.