These days, superheroes wear scrubs, not capes. Our hospital workers were on the front lines, helping to support individuals who were suffering from COVID-19 and preparing to accommodate a potential rise in cases.
It is easy to forget these workers now that restrictions have been lifted for some time, even with Australia’s relatively low numbers, well-equipped and managed healthcare system, our doctors and nurses remain on our front-line.
The second-wave in Melbourne and surrounds was a reminder for us all not to health care professionals for granted, and how quickly things can change.
As well as caring for their patients, health workers face the risk of contracting the virus themselves and fear that they will pass it on to their families.
Here’s how you can show your support to front-line workers at home in Australia or overseas in your home countries.
Buy a meal or a cup of coffee
Across the world, idle restaurants and various groups provided food to hospital workers. In Poland, France and Spain, restaurants cooked up a storm while in New York City, individual restaurant owners were adopting a hospital or healthcare worker.
A number of charities and GoFundMe pages sprung up to organise free meals, coffee or raise funds for vital protective gear for healthcare workers during COVID-19.
Visit Buy Them A Coffee to add to the tens of thousands raised and counting to pre-pay for a cup of coffee for an Aussie healthcare worker.
You can also pay for lunch or dinner. There are several charities providing food to healthcare workers looking for support; for example, Alex Makes Meals in Melbourne and Feed Our Medics in Sydney.
If you own a food venue, you might wish to join the dozens of businesses pledging to give a certain amount of food free to healthcare workers or accepting donations and making meals for workers on your behalf. In Brisbane, Moroccan Soup Bar is one example of a venue taking this approach and allowing people to order one, five or ten meals as a donation.
However much this is appreciated, though, in the words of one healthcare worker: “We’re not hungry, we need masks.”
Donate
Hospital workers have busy upskilling and working long hours for months as they prepared for a potential influx of patients. Although we’ve been fortunate in many parts of Australia to avoid the unfathomable number of cases such as in Europe and the USA, we must not become complacent. Melbourne’s resurgence certainly reminded us of this.
Visit the Frontliners website in Australia to find out how you can support the thousands of medical professionals who are caring not only for people with the COVID-19 virus but returning patients due for minor or routine operations.
You can even donate Frontliners Kits, which include products that help medical staff cope with long working hours and difficulty sleeping between shifts.
What do hospitals and healthcare workers need?
While homemade face masks aren’t useful due to their ineffectiveness in a medical environment, supplies required include:
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- N-95 Respirator Masks
- Surgical Isolation Masks
- Isolation Gowns
- Ear Loop Masks
- Isolation Masks with Visor
- Full Face Shields (with Forehead Straps)
- Eye Shields
- Disinfectant Bleach Wipes
- Hand Sanitizers (at least 60 per cent alcohol)
- Goggles
- Nitrile Gloves
If you have any of these or manufacture them, you might wish to contact your local hospital to see if they are needed as donations.
You can also lookup your local hospital to find out what workers are in need of and how to donate. For example, you can donate to The Alfred or St Vincent’s hospitals in Melbourne or Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney.
Adopt a health worker
This movement has been growing steadily on Facebook and now has thousands of members.
When you adopt a health worker, you provide the support they need to keep the home fires burning, so to speak. This can be as simple as going to the grocery store on their behalf, doing a load of washing or helping care for their children.
Here are the Facebook groups for Adopt a Healthcare in Western Australia, Sydney and Victoria. Take note that the organisers accept no personal liability and that it is recommended you help out while following the most recent government-approved advice on COVID-19.
If you know a health worker, reach out to see what they need. Lend a hand by mowing a lawn or folding some laundry. You can share your good deed on social media or simply be happy knowing you have helped make these difficult times a little easier.
It is community support which will get us through these tough times so do what you can, even if it’s simply sharing a thank you post on social media.
