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Meals + Messages of Thanks sustain Surrey Memorial team

Donations support those in COVID-19 fight
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Donations to the Surrey Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund provide supports those in the fight against the pandemic, including meals for front line health care workers.

Surrey and its neighbours have a long history of coming together to care for community. In fact, one recent success – the new Emergency Department and Critical Care Tower at Surrey Memorial Hospital – is one reason the hospital is a key participant in the current COVID-19 battle.

Funded through the generosity and foresight of the Surrey community, the six-year-old, state-of-the-art tower did more than add valuable beds; it provided the latest tools and technology for infection prevention and respiratory care – vital for health workers and patients fighting the virus.

To support those fighting efforts, Surrey Hospital Foundation launched the COVID-19 Response Fund on March 20 to cover expenses related to fighting the virus at Fraser Health’s largest hospital, says notes Jane Adams, Foundation President and CEO.

In consultation with the Surrey Memorial Hospital team, the fund will support health, wellness and nutrition initiatives for front line workers – close to 1,700 between Surrey Memorial and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. It will also support immediate and ongoing needs as the pandemic progresses, including capital purchases related to COVID-19 care and comfort purchases for patients.

“Health care workers are a finite and priceless resource – we wouldn’t be able to do this without them,” Adams emphasizes.

Here’s a look at what’s happening, and how you can help:

  • Meals of Thanks: Recognizing the vital importance of sustaining health care workers, the Foundation is working with local restaurants and caterers to provide 40,000 meals for workers over the coming weeks, along with up t0 20,000 free cups of coffee. Your contribution will go a long way to ensuring front line workers stay healthy and working with patients who need them. Are you from a restaurant who’d like to help? Adams looks forward to hearing from you!
  • Be well: Some health care workers have a loved one at home whose immunity is compromised, requiring them to stay at a hotel between shifts. Your gift can give them a place to rest. Other initiatives such as group trauma counselling may follow as the pandemic continues.
  • Patient comforts: Some COVID-19 patients may find themselves hospitalized for long stretches with limited ways to pass time. The hospital wifi has limitations during the current crisis, taking options like Netflix offline, so the Foundation is offering free cable TV service. Some patients don’t have a way to communicate with loved ones during isolation, so the Foundation aims to provide iPads to maintain those connections during their care. Other initiatives include providing monitoring equipment to support patients recovering at home after release from hospital.

#tosurreywithlove

Recognizing that the pandemic has deeply affected the community on many levels, and that a financial donation isn’t always possible, Surrey Hospital Foundation also encourages friends and neighbours to share their Messages of Thanks – messages they’re regularly sharing on social media, and on the Foundation website, where you can quickly and easily share yours!

Donate today to offer support for Surrey’s frontline healthcare workers and those fighting COVID-19.

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Surrey Memorial Hospital health care workers pick up Meals of Thanks provided through the Surrey Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 Response Fund.