The Meaning of Care in Motion During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Santa and his helpers from Methodist Hospital’s Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit visit Florence Home every year for Christmas in July. But on April 10, they brought Christmas cheer even earlier to residents feeling lonely and isolated during the pandemic. With the help of canine elf Andy, they donated gifts collected by ACE Unit staffers and walked around the building to wave at and encourage residents. See more. 

Two certified nursing assistants who signed up for the Methodist Labor Pool – an organized COVID-19 response effort – kept busy as they waited for assignments. Together, they spent four hours hand-painting 400 inspiring messages of hope and encouragement to leave on cars inside the Methodist Hospital employee parking garage. See more.

Methodist Hospital received a very special delivery on April 8. Tracy Weaver and the team at Recovery Room Interiors made and donated over 500 reusable face shields. The team also created ear protectors to be paired with medical masks. See more.

To honor Methodist medical staff, Finance Department members wore blue and wrote the following poem:

To our medical staff working in the danger zone,
We are in awe of the commitment you have shown!
You are at the ready, committed and totally prepared
To serve all who will arrive uncertain and scared.
You calm, treat and heal with unlimited kindness
Which we know will continue until COVID is behind us.
We support and care about all that you do
And want you to know that we admire you!
In these times so unfamiliar and bizarre,
We each dig deep to identify exactly who we are.
We are Methodist, The Meaning of Care,
In this mission we ALL have a share.
 

With visitors restricted to hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Methodist is finding ways to keep patients in contact with loved ones. On April 10, COX Communications donated 25 iPads to Methodist to allow patients to have face-to-face conversations with family and friends.

As Methodist Hospital registration specialist Lacy Beaver was backing out of the driveway, she noticed a plywood sign in the yard. At first, she thought her parents were selling something. Then she read the sign. Read more about their message of thanks to all health care workers.

Chalk artists were at work at several Methodist facilities in early April, sharing messages of encouragement and thanks. See more of the messages.

Members of the Nebraska Chinese Association donated 10,000 disposable surgical masks and 500 N95 masks to Nebraska Medical Center and Methodist Hospital during the first week of April. The group previously donated an additional 5,000 disposable masks to Methodist. See more.

Staff members on the Methodist Hospital 6 North Progressive Care Unit (PCU) shared messages of strength and motivation in early April during the COVID-19 outbreak.

In a show of support, their coworkers from across the breezeway on 6 South supplied the PCU staff with chips, cookies, other snacks and large card with notes of encouragement.