Our Community Says Thank You

During this challenging time, members of our community at all levels of the organization have come together to step up and do what is needed. The tremendous outpouring of support and encouragement within the community has been amazing, and we want to thank everyone who has pitched in.

With high-stress and uncertain situations, it’s crucial to have reminders that we’re all in this together. Which is why, starting today, we will send emails out each Friday to highlight what our colleagues, friends, families and larger community are doing to support each other.

Supportive words from social media

People in the community have been taking to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn to share messages of gratitude and encouragement with us. Here are just a few of those messages:

• “UW Medicine stepped up when no one else did. The contributions to the community by so many individuals will never be forgotten. Thank you! #BowDown” -Danielle
• “You guys are the best. I’ve been a surgical patient three times at UW and I know how hard your nurses and care assistants work, how much the residents are working to be the best doctors they can, and the world class physicians who are leading the way. You are all truly a blessing.” -Julie S.
• “You are real heroes! Thank you for saving lives and fighting to protect our community. Thank you for leading us through these troubling times. Please take care of your mental & physical health as much as possible — we care about you and know that we can’t do this without you!” -Kristen K.
• “Thank you to all the physicians, nurses, social workers, PTs, OTs, RTs, CNAs, MAs, and countless other important staff. Thank you for all of your dedication bravery and persistence and your refusal to let anything less than excellent be the hallmark of your endeavors. We love you. Bless all of you.” -Tom D.
• “Thank you for your continued sacrifice. We often don’t think about the fact that when we get sick and seek care, we put all of you at risk. I know this is scary. For all of us. Remember to breathe. Take a moment to collect your thoughts. We’ve got each other.” -Sabrina M.

To see even more of the messages of support we have received, you can watch this video.

Caring acts from our community

The outpouring of support doesn’t end with social media. UW Medicine launched the Care & Share website that allows our UW Medicine community to connect with people offering and seeking support for child care, carpooling, pet care and more. There are now over 90 pages of offers of support.

This week, a local restaurant and 35 chefs from the community, in an industry going through its own tough times, joined together to provide food for our staff at UW Medical Center – Montlake. A community member donated and delivered hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies to staff at UW Medical Center – Northwest, and people from a local company are cooking and delivering warm meals to the team at Harborview Medical Center.

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We look forward to highlighting many other acts of support and encouragement in future emails. Thank you again for all you are doing for our patients and the community.