COVID-19: Our Community Response

In the past few months, everyone’s world has been turned upside-down and backwards as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans made turn into plans changed – or canceled. We’ve lost personal contact with so many people, and sometimes it can seem like there is little good that can come of it all.

As we all find our way together through these unprecedented times, it’s important to know that we can make a difference in our own lives and in the lives others. HaysMed has been touched by individuals, families, churches, restaurants, businesses, and our volunteers and associates who have chosen to make life a little better for someone else. It seems like a great time to share some of the good that has come out of this crazy time.

Braden and Alex Unrein, pictured with mom Lisa, chose to support the Stay Home, Go Give initiative at HaysMed.

Brad and Lisa Unrein have two school-age children, Alex and Braden, who were looking forward to Spring Break when the world shifted around them. Among the end-of-year activities the boys would miss this year was their school’s annual “Race for Education” a day of walking and running laps to raise money for their school. Like so many other events, it was canceled and the parent volunteers decided to take pledges, not for laps, but for good deeds.

Alex and Braden decided that among the good deeds they would do to fulfill their commitment, was to provide meals for front-line medical workers at HaysMed through the Foundation’s “Stay Home, Go Give” initiative. Their gift provided ten meals for essential associates of HaysMed who continue to take care of patients, screen visitors, prepare food, and maintain and clean the facilities around the clock. The boys’ mother, Lisa, said, “We sat the boys down and talked about things they could do. They immediately jumped at the chance to do something for the people at the hospital for keeping us safe and taking care of us.”

Dani VonFeldt, Ambulatory Surgery RN, gets a remote-operated vehicle ready to transport a pediatric patient.

The Ambulatory Surgery staff is using their resources to brighten the day of some of our youngest patients. Sarah Green, Director of Peri-Operative Services explained, “Earlier this year the Wonder Women League of the United Way purchased several motorized vehicles for our pediatric patients to use when going from their rooms to the operating room. Now that we do pre-op testing of COVID, patients are coming in through Entrance A and have a long walk down the hall to the Ambulatory Surgery Department. The
staff working the entrance decided it would be nice to have the pediatric patients be able to drive the cars from the entrance all the way to the department on arrival and back to the when they left.” The staff has enjoyed bringing smiles to the faces of patients and families and by making the trip to and from a procedure fun.

As the old saying goes: It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness. In “light” of that expression we would like to invite you to join those whose actions have lit a candle in the darkness by finding someone in need and doing a kind turn. If, like Alex and Braden or the Ambulatory Surgery Department staff, you’d like your good deed to help our patients and the dedicated heroes providing their care, contact us or make a gift online at haysmedfoundation/donate.