May 20, 2020
Amelia Armstrong is a junior majoring in hospitality business in the Broad College of Business.
Since the beginning of this year, I have seen how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected different people, schools, stores, sports and entire communities. When I applied for summer internships, I was lucky enough to find one that focuses on the effects that COVID-19 has on health care workers.
While we can work to slow the spread of this virus with preventative measures like quarantining and wearing masks, it is easy to feel helpless during such uncertain times. However, a new way to provide direct support to our health care workers has come to fruition, and I am proud to be able to support it.
Kathleen Kilmer, the CEO of Easy Event Planning, has two sisters in the health care system and has been increasingly worried about the depression and anxiety that is caused by working on the front lines of this pandemic. She is concerned for the mental health of these workers and is concerned that it could lead to their calling off work, which would compromise our health care system.
Kilmer saw these issues and took initiative to create a platform where people could show their gratitude to the heroes saving lives every day. This website, HonorAndThank.com, allows you to post messages and videos that can either be shared directly to your local health care facility or to all of the health care workers in America.
Each health care worker can then access their facility’s page, which is full of “thank yous” and supportive messages from their local community.
We may not be able to cure the anxiety and depression that comes with fighting this virus, but we can provide support, gratitude and hope. I am fortunate enough to work with interns all over the country that have the same goal — to provide a place overflowing with support that health care workers can easily access when they need it most.
Finding new ways to spread hope during this pandemic is extremely important, and this website allows all of us to support those on the front line in a matter of minutes. I hope that everyone can see the importance of supporting our health care workers, and can take the time to write a thoughtful message.
To show your gratitude to health professionals, share a message with them on HonorAndThank.com.