How to Support Healthcare Workers through COVID-19

This unprecedented crisis is a frightening and challenging time for humanity as a whole, and no one understands this better than healthcare workers. Here are some ways you can support the men and women on the front lines of this pandemic:

Stay home.

Stay home. Stay home, stay home, stay home.

The absolute best thing you can do for healthcare workers right now is to stay home. No playdates, no small dinner parties, no congregating at crowded parks. By practicing serious social distancing right now, you help flatten the curve, giving healthcare workers like me and our patients a fighting chance.

Advocate for personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals.

All over the country, physicians and nurses are being given single-use, disposable masks and asked to make them last for a week. You can read more about the shortage here:

“A long foreseen shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) — including masks, N95 respirators, and gowns — is crippling health workers’ ability to respond to the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. And as doctors and nurses are forced to reuse gear in ways that put themselves and patients at risk of infection, they’re begging the Trump administration to use readily available legal tools to solve the crisis.”

Be in touch with your senators, and demand that Congress do everything possible to increase PPE distribution to healthcare workers.

If you have supplies, donate them.

There are a number of reasons you might have gathered supplies like surgical or N95 masks, gloves, and hand sanitizer. A lot of Californians bought N95 masks in bulk while the state was battling wildfires last year. Some people panic-bought these items a few months ago, hoping to keep their families safe. Whatever the reason, these items now belong in the hands of healthcare workers. No shame, just donate them. Here is some further information on where and how to get this equipment to the healthcare workers who desperately need it.

Send food.

Call your local emergency department and ask if it’s appropriate to arrange a food delivery for their hard-working (and likely exhausted) staff.

Donate your space.

If you have rental apartments that are unoccupied or run an Airbnb, consider donating the space to healthcare workers who may feel more comfortable living separately from their families so as not to risk infecting them.

Offer childcare.

Healthcare workers do not have the luxury of staying home throughout this pandemic. Many are scrambling to find childcare as schools and daycares close. Offering to care for the child of a healthcare worker is an incredible act of generosity.

Express gratitude.

There are many ways to thank healthcare workers. For example, a movement called #Solidarityat8 suggests we all open our windows at 8 p.m. and cheer on the healthcare workers who are fighting this virus so we can all stay as safe as possible.