This unfamiliar and trying time can be difficult for everyone to endure. With job layoffs, self-isolation from family and friends, and the fear of contracting the coronavirus, many can feel on edge during this time. But it’s important to show support and appreciation to those who are continuing to work in their essential roles to help protect the community. Below, we include ways to thank the local healthcare professionals in your community.
Donate Available Supplies
Medical professionals are on the frontlines of caring for patients and fighting the Coronavirus, yet many hospitals currently have a shortage of necessary supplies. Call your local hospital to find out if they’re accepting donations and what they’re in need of. If you have a surplus of any of the materials they need, consider making a donation. Whether the hospital is in need of additional hand gloves, face masks, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, or other essential supplies, any donation is sure to be appreciated and put to good use. Not only will it help medical professionals provide better and safer care, but it will also protect their own health and reduce the chances of any virus getting passed on.
Listen to Medical Advice
If you ask any medical professional for ways you can show your support and appreciation for their work, they may say to you to listen and follow medical guidelines. By staying home when you’re able to, social distancing yourself, following recommended personal hygiene practices, and taking the proper precautions, you can help limit the spread of the Coronavirus and reduce the chance that the hospital will become overloaded with cases. That may just be the best way to say “thank you” and give them a hand in their fight against the pandemic.
Provide Meals
When caring for their patients on the hospital floor, many nurses and doctors deprioritize their own needs. Ordering takeout meals to have delivered at the hospital or dropping off groceries and household supplies on the porch of a neighbor or friend who works in the medical industry can be a great help. Be sure to call the hospital ahead of time to check that delivering food is allowed. Nurses need to eat and providing meals for them takes the stress of cooking and shopping for themselves off of their shoulders.
Say “Thank You”
Just two words can make someone’s entire day — thank you. Medical professionals sacrifice so much and save so many, but many times they do not receive the praise they deserve. As a patient, emotions of anger, confusion, and uncertainty can be unintentionally taken out on the medical staff and to those who don’t currently need care, medical professionals can be taken for granted. Whether you take to social media to send a message of gratitude or tell someone you personally know, just hearing that they are appreciated and seen can go a long way in giving them the push they need to continue their work and boost their morale.
