U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams Visits Hall

Mercy Medical Center announced this week that U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams would be visiting the hospital’s main campus Thursday to learn more about how health care providers in Canton are dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to that session, Adams and his staff called an audible, making a quick, unexpected visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only a few football fields away from the hospital.

Adams, a vice admiral, the country’s 20th U.S. surgeon general and a key member of the Trump Administration’s coronavirus task force, made a whirlwind pass through the Hall of Fame Gallery, viewed the Lombardi Trophy and saw his favorite player, Doug Williams, in the Black College Football Hall of Fame exhibit.

He emphasized his three W’s for keeping museums like the Hall of Fame open during the country’s battle with the COVID-19 pandemic: wash your hands, wear a mask and watch your distance around others.

“If we do these three things, we can keep places open,” Adams said. “And we want to stay open. Sports are a great way to promote mental health.”

Adams and Hall of Fame President & CEO David Baker exchanged views on the importance of sports and the “huddle,” where people of all races, political leanings and socio-economic backgrounds come together for a common goal.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams stopped by the Hall of Fame today during a visit to Canton, OH.@Surgeon_General pic.twitter.com/eXfjp8Sgzc

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) October 29, 2020

“I learned a lot of life issues on the football field, especially the practice field,” Adams said. “Playing football or baseball or basketball can help anyone become a better person.”

The meeting at Mercy Medical Center also was to include U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Eric Hargan; U.S. Rep. Anthony Gonzales, R-Rocky River; U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Lakeville; Mercy Medical Interim CEO Thomas Strauss; Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer David Gormsen; and Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer Barbara Yingling, according to a report in The Canton Repository.

"The meeting will provide an opportunity for government officials to learn more about our community and the challenges that health care providers are facing in Ohio and greater Stark County in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis," the hospital said in a news release.