COVID ‘solicitation fatigue’? Health Care Heroes drive is still raising money, but it’s hard
What a difference 19 months makes.
Back in March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic took hold, the world was changing fast. Every day seemed to bring new realities and new fears, while life as we knew it quickly took on an unnerving hue of nostalgia.
Amid the emerging public health crisis, however, one thing that provided a glimmer of hope was a profound sense of community resilience. Whether it meant standing on your porch and cheering for front line medical workers every night at 8 p.m. or buying meals for local nurses and doctors, the South Puget Sound - like many places - banded together with a sense of purpose, hoping to carry us through to the other side.
While it might have been difficult to fathom way back when, today, the “other side” of the pandemic is a destination we have yet to reach. Even with effective COVID-19 vaccines widely available, local hospital beds remain jam packed with stricken patients — the majority of which are unvaccinated — and the physical and emotional toll continues to mount for those tasked with taking care of them.
That’s one of the reasons why October was declared Health Care Heroes Month in several local jurisdictions, including Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Puyallup, Lakewood, Sumner and Pierce County. Even as we’ve all attempted to move on with our lives, honoring the incredible sacrifices made by front line medical workers remains as important as ever.
But there’s a stark difference this time around, according to Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board President and CEO Bruce Kendall. While the early days of the pandemic saw an outpouring of support, these days efforts to rally behind local medical staff — like the EDB and Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce’s Health Care Heroes initiative — can be met with what Kendall describes as “solicitation fatigue.”
Initially, Kendall said that the Health Care Heroes program had a goal of raising $100,000 to help pay for meals and employee wellness funds at MultiCare, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and Community Health Care facilities. But as October has stretched on, it became clear that this would be no easy matter.
So far, according to health care system representatives, only approximately $2,000 has been raised for the three employee wellness funds and just $4,100 has been donated for meals.
By comparison, in 2020, according to Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber Vice President and Downtown Tacoma Partnership Executive Director David Schroedel, the Hero Meals program raised roughly $26,000 alone, helping to pay for more than 3,000 meals.
“Bottom line: We are pushing folks to step up as contributions have lagged the $100,000 we had targeted,” Kendall told The News Tribune Editorial Board. “We are now looking at an interim goal of $20,000 and then will grow from there. We will definitely push this into November to make those numbers.”
Of course, supporting the EDB and Chamber’s Health Care Heroes initiative is just one of many ways Pierce County residents and businesses can lend their support during a challenging time. Everyone is different, and everyone has causes that resonate for them more than others.
Still, there’s little question that the reduced participation the program has received so far underscores the larger challenge ahead:
Even when the COVID-19 pandemic eventually recedes, the need to support those who helped us through it will carry on for years to come.
Gina McCarthy is a respiratory therapist at Tacoma General Hospital. When a COVID patient is placed on a ventilator, she often gets the call. Earlier this year McCarthy spoke to KNKX reporter Kari Plog about life in the ICU, and just how hard it is.
“I personally have had some emotional times where we really lean on people that we work with to kind of get us through those moments because they become long,” McCarthy told KNKX last month, adding that “Death is part of our job.”
On Tuesday, McCarthy told The News Tribune that not much has changed. Outside the hospital, some might be relieved to see COVID-related numbers and statistics slowly improve, but among the hospital’s staff, the threat — and the potential for future spikes — still feels very real.
“It became our norm, which for us was daunting,” McCarthy said of caring for a hospital full of individuals sick with COVID-19. “People would say, ‘I heard the numbers are low,’ and for us every day was different. … I’m like, ‘I just admitted 10 patients.’”
Asked about the impact that community support can make, McCarthy was unwavering. It makes a difference, she said, in ways that the average person might struggle to understand.
With October — and Health Care Heroes Month — now coming to a close, McCarthy provided words and motivation that should remind us all of the difference we can make.
Most of all, McCarthy would like those who have yet to do so get vaccinated.
She’s also grateful for every bit of additional support that comes her way.
“We appreciate everything,” McCarthy said. “It sparks us.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 5:00 AM.