shape
carat
color
clarity

A crisis brings out the best in some people...please share a happy story here

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
I printed these today and put them in mailboxes. Probably no one will call but if they do, I will answer. Two per page, for a total of 24 slips, and I got all the houses in my street. Now I'm out of printer ink! If anybody wants a copy of the template, I can post it here and you can share.
fullsizeoutput_b.jpeg

You are beautiful inside and out. :love:
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
12,492
Thanks for the kind words. :))

I have been working from home since September 2019. My line of work nowadays is (virtual) office-based, therefore, not affected by the need for self-isolation and social distancing as such. It is pretty much business as usual.

The same is not true for my friends in the hospitality sector. They are struggling to stay afloat with dwindling number of punters and cancelled events, yet they are unable to claim from their insurance and the government is not helping with their pussy-footing. It is heartbreaking. 8)

I have a little pot stashed away that I do not need right now, so I may as well help them as much as I can, to let them know help is available if they need it to ease their worrying. BTW, this is not common knowledge, just mentioning this here as the thread asks for it. ;))

Not boosting in anyway, just feeling good for myself, that's all.

At times like these, it is good to share, even if it is just good vibes and positive mental attitude.

DK :))
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 2, 2016
Messages
11,841
This was sent out to all the residents of Middletown CT. Basically some of the restaurants in town are donating meals to help make sure nobody goes hungry over the weekend.

Communities here are really stepping up, it's a great thing to see.

IMG_7896.jpg
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
 

Matata

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 10, 2003
Messages
8,997
Small things. The critical care vet clinic currently treating one of my cats got orders to implement CDC protocols while I was there waiting to see a doctor and they were stressed out by the thought of having to ask people with critically ill/injured animals to stay in their cars until a staffer could come out to collect the animal. At one point one of them said they'd need a lot of chocolate to get through it. So I bought them a 4 lb box of See's candies. Small gesture but they were overwhelmed for being recognized for their work.

I belong to a few Savannah cat FB groups one of which is for the purpose of people posting stories of their cats who need to be rehomed. Two days ago a woman posted photos and stories of her 2 cats that she wanted to rehome because she had to close her newly opened restaurant and was worried she wouldn't be able to provide food for her cats. The cats are elderly and it would be terribly stressful for them to be given away. Didn't take but 2 hrs for people to convince her to keep them and put a list on of things she needs on Amazon. She'll be able to keep her cats.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
Small things. The critical care vet clinic currently treating one of my cats got orders to implement CDC protocols while I was there waiting to see a doctor and they were stressed out by the thought of having to ask people with critically ill/injured animals to stay in their cars until a staffer could come out to collect the animal. At one point one of them said they'd need a lot of chocolate to get through it. So I bought them a 4 lb box of See's candies. Small gesture but they were overwhelmed for being recognized for their work.

I belong to a few Savannah cat FB groups one of which is for the purpose of people posting stories of their cats who need to be rehomed. Two days ago a woman posted photos and stories of her 2 cats that she wanted to rehome because she had to close her newly opened restaurant and was worried she wouldn't be able to provide food for her cats. The cats are elderly and it would be terribly stressful for them to be given away. Didn't take but 2 hrs for people to convince her to keep them and put a list on of things she needs on Amazon. She'll be able to keep her cats.

That was thoughtful @Matata. I know my sister is overwhelmed as her vet clinic is open (and her DH who works at a hospital is considered essential too so he has been going to work over 40 hours a week) and last night when I spoke with her she said it was still business as usual. She is exhausted and she is bringing the kids with her to work every day now. The veterinarians are seeing everyone with a full staff. I expect that will change soon though and probably they will implement what our local Brooklyn vet here has started doing. The local vet clinic here is seeing emergencies only and the humans have to stay outside and the vet tech brings them into the office for the exam. And then the vet calls the pet parent on the phone and tells them the results and treatment agreed upon and vet tech returns the pet.

I am very sad to hear about the people who are overwhelmed and cannot afford to keep their cats and I am relieved to hear that one of those people changed her mind with the help of supportive animal lovers. I needed to hear some happy news this AM-thank you for sharing.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
Amazing work being done. Generous behavior all around. Kindness is real.



 

PreRaphaelite

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
3,564

MRBXXXFVVS1

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 5, 2019
Messages
1,450
I find it is often hard for me to justify spending money on bling, but without a second thought, I donated my entire paycheck (and more) to food banks and COVID-19 causes/foundations.

Please consider donating your bling budget (and more if you can) to help others in need.
 
Last edited:

jordyonbass

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
2,117
So back in January I did the emergency supplies drop to the town in Southern NSW called Numeralla, amongst all the supplies was 12 half mask respirators with filters for particulates, chemical and bio vapours. These were purchased largely with donations from PS'ers.

I've just discovered that the respirators have been repurposed, the filters also protect against COVID-19 and have been given to medical staff currently treating patients with the virus. So I'm really happy to hear that the donated protective equipment is getting thorough use by people who have needed it.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
I am overwhelmed in a good way at all the healthcare professionals who were retired/not working who stepped up to help their fellow NYers and I am sure everywhere this is happening. They are more vulnerable being older (most of them) yet they are brave souls who just want to help others. There are no adequate words to express how grateful I am to these brave individuals. May you remain safe and well. Thank you for helping.




"‘I’ve Been Missing Caring for People.’ Thousands of Retired Health Care Workers Are Volunteering to Help Areas Overwhelmed By Coronavirus


Dr. Jane Bedell was less than a month into her retirement and was looking forward to hiking and visiting her son. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called on retired health care professionals and students to help care for the state’s rapidly rising confirmed COVID-19 cases, the 63-year-old New Yorker immediately put her plans on hold and signed up to help.

Bedell is one of at least 52,000 health professionals in New York — including more than 2,400 nurse practitioners and at least 2,265 physicians, many of whom are retired or students — that have responded to Cuomo’s request. Governors across the country, including in Illinois and Colorado, have made similar asks. Italy and the U.K., in their own desperate attempts to treat massive influxes of patients that are overwhelming hospitals, have also requested medical professionals to come out of retirement; thousands have responded.

Despite the challenges and the potential risks, Cathy Howard, a 71-year-old retired nurse in Colorado, is eager to get back to work. She’s used to being active—playing softball and pickleball for hours every week— and playing cards or going out to dinner or the movies with her friends. Recent social distancing measures have disrupted her schedule. “I like to keep busy,” Howard says. “Since my retirement, I’ve been missing caring for people. This is an opportunity for me to help people again.”


Bedell, the New Yorker, is no stranger to crisis. She most recently retired from the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, where she worked as Assistant Commissioner for the Bronx Bureau of Neighborhood Health. As part of her job, she responded to previous health emergencies in New York, including Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Sandy, the Legionella outbreak and Ebola. She’s also worked in the city’s busy clinic system as a primary care doctor.

And she’s survived cancer — a battle she says played into her decision to want to help, even though her age and medical history could put her at a higher risk for COVID-19. “I’ve done a pretty big risk assessment of myself,” Bedell says, noting that her biggest worry if she falls sick is that she would “clog up a hospital bed.” But she’s cautious too, adding that she’s “not going to work in dangerous situations without the right equipment.”

The strain on health care resources in the U.S. has been most apparent in New York, an epicenter of the country’s outbreak that has so far reported more than 30,000 COVID-19 cases; of these, more than 17,000 are in New York City. Cuomo’s press conferences have caught national attention as he pleads with the federal government for more equipment, including ventilators that are needed to treat respiratory distress caused by COVID-19. (There are no good substitutes for ventilators, which are key to dealing with a virus that aggressively attacks the lungs.)

Cuomo has also made repeated pleas for retired health care professionals “whether or not they work in a hospital” to help out, even if they’re staff at health insurance companies or clinics. He says a “back up reserve staff” will be essential. “We want to enlist as many staff as we can (…) because health care workers will get sick and this is going to go on for weeks and you can’t ask a person to work for 14 days consecutive or around the clock shifts,” Cuomo said at a press conference on Tuesday.


Experts say it’s a necessary step at this point of the outbreak. “You have to pull out all the stops when you’re confronting what we’re confronting now,” Sten Vermund, dean of the Yale School of Public Health, tells TIME. Susan Michaels-Strasser, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University with over 25 years of experience in nursing and public health, agrees that it’s an “appropriate” measure at this stage. “It behooves us to use all the human resources” we can, she says, “we’re really all in this together.”


Data shows hospitals and health centers are reaching their maximum capacity, she explains. “Not only do we have more patients, we have more critically ill patients so it requires a higher level of care,” Michaels-Strasser says. “One nurse can’t take four people; they (often) have to take care of one person because it’s a life or death situation.” Neither expert recalls the U.S. taking such drastic steps in response to a previous infectious disease outbreak, although Michaels-Strasser notes that using back-up doctors and nurses in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak was “done effectively.”

Michaels-Strasser has also signed up to offer her services to the state and is coordinating efforts by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health to rally volunteers. She says she would be prepared to work on the front lines even with the equipment shortage; she recalls working on the HIV response in African countries with reused gloves full of holes. Michaels-Strasser notes that the choice to volunteer is a deeply personal one. She says the dwindling resources are “shameful” given how much Americans pay for health care. “It makes me angry,” she says.

Bedell says she has not yet heard about how the city intends to use her skills. She’s prepared to help by using her experience as a doctor or assistant city commissioner — helping deal with patients or do community outreach, for example.

For some retired health care professionals, volunteering is not a practical option. Anita Reinhardt, 70, lives in California and worked as a nurse for about 35 years, but says issues with her back, knees and heart prevent her from helping out now. “I would love to go and help my fellow nurses but I have to be realistic,” Reinhardt tells TIME. “I can’t work anymore because of my health.” Reinhardt says she has a 6-year-old granddaughter who she wants “to spend time with when this is all over.”

Others want to help away from the front lines but are not sure how. Trudy Lechner, a retired nurse in Parkland, Fla., has more than five decades of nursing experience. “I’m glad to help but not on the front lines because I have my underlying conditions,” says Lechner, who adds she had lung cancer six years ago. A couple of weeks ago, Lechner called her local health department asking how she could help. The Broward County Health Department appeared to “have no clue,” Lechner says.( A spokesperson for The Florida Department of Health did not comment on Lechner’s individual situation but said in an email to TIME that the state has not yet “made any specific requests for retired healthcare professionals to come out of retirement.”)


Lechner says most retired nurses would probably “not be fit to work a 12-hour shift” even as they may like to help; many, like her, have been left with back injuries or other conditions. But there are ways they can be useful; they could, for example, do shorter shifts with non-coronavirus patients. “Retired nurses could help bathe patients on those other floors, make beds to free up other staff, work in the nursery as rockers for the babies, answer phones, do errands, going to the pharmacy, taking vital signs, be a friendly visitor for patients that now aren’t allowed visitors,” Lechner says.

Vermund notes that most people who have since retired from the medical profession are likely over the age of 60 or 70. “That’s exactly the highest risk subgroup, so you would not be likely to deploy them on the front lines anyway.” Their institutional knowledge can, however, be useful in other ways to relieve the burden on the health care system. They could help track down suspected COVID-19 cases or work telephone lines. “There’s a small army of tasks we can have them do that would relieve the practicing physicians and nurses from doing,” Vermund says.

State officials aren’t the only ones organizing extra help. Other efforts are being coordinated by Volunteer Surge, a non-profit initiative of the Yale School of Public Health, Salesforce.com, the American Red Cross and others. (TIME is owned by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff and Lynne Benioff.) For example, Vermund is helping lead an initiative to recruit, train and deploy community health workers. These volunteers can help staff test centers, triage patients waiting in hospital lines and conduct telehealth follow ups with asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients.

Carolyn Grant, a 63-year-old nurse who retired from UW Medicine/Northwest Hospital & Medical Center, had been retired for about two-and-a-half months when her former employer asked whether she could help manage two COVID-19 testing sites on campus properties. Grant, 63, had taken a voluntary early retirement and wondered if she would be putting herself at risk if she accepted. She agreed and is not caring for or testing patients but is overseeing a testing process for UW medicine employees and patients in which they test around 130-160 staff members a day and about 400 patients per week. “We need to make sure there’s a safe and healthy workforce (…) so we can take care of patients in the community,” Grant says. “I felt like I had skills and abilities that I could bring to the table.”


Howard, the retired nurse in Colorado, seems undeterred about working on the front lines. She says she worked as an infection control practitioner earlier in her career and that she doesn’t have any underlying conditions. Howard mentions that her family members have shown “a little bit of concern here or there” but she knows this is something she wants to do.

“It doesn’t frighten me at all,” Howard says. “I just want to help out where I can.”

"
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Received this in an email from Nordstrom this morning:

In this time of great need, we're also looking for unique ways to help others in our communities. For example, we're leveraging our Alterations teams in Washington, Oregon, Texas and California to sew more than 100,000 masks that will be distributed to Providence Health & Services. We're also continuing to support our partners providing critical services to those impacted by COVID-19. You can visit our Nordstrom Now blog to see more on all our efforts and how you can help.

So impressed that businesses are doing what they can to help during this crisis.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
Received this in an email from Nordstrom this morning:

In this time of great need, we're also looking for unique ways to help others in our communities. For example, we're leveraging our Alterations teams in Washington, Oregon, Texas and California to sew more than 100,000 masks that will be distributed to Providence Health & Services. We're also continuing to support our partners providing critical services to those impacted by COVID-19. You can visit our Nordstrom Now blog to see more on all our efforts and how you can help.

So impressed that businesses are doing what they can to help during this crisis.

Nice to hear. And fwiw I plan on purchasing from businesses that are helping (and not purchasing from businesses that are not helping that could have). Too soon to say who that is at this point but I am committed to buying from as many businesses as I can who did what they could during this pandemic.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
I printed these today and put them in mailboxes. Probably no one will call but if they do, I will answer. Two per page, for a total of 24 slips, and I got all the houses in my street. Now I'm out of printer ink! If anybody wants a copy of the template, I can post it here and you can share.
fullsizeoutput_b.jpeg

Wow! I'm so curious if you heard from anyone. Have you? Did you make the template yourself?
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986

PreRaphaelite

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
3,564
Wow! I'm so curious if you heard from anyone. Have you? Did you make the template yourself?

I made the postcards using a template in Pages. I cant figure out how to upload a document here but if you like, I can put it on Etsy as a free download. Just let me know if you‘d like it.

I did hear from my next door neighbor and have spoken to her a few times. Made a care package for her with a fresh baked loaf of bread, some toilet roll, paper towels, and a bag of clementines.

The only other response so far was, as some warned me, a text containing an unsavory photo. #Murica
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
I made the postcards using a template in Pages. I cant figure out how to upload a document here but if you like, I can put it on Etsy as a free download. Just let me know if you‘d like it.

I did hear from my next door neighbor and have spoken to her a few times. Made a care package for her with a fresh baked loaf of bread, some toilet roll, paper towels, and a bag of clementines.

The only other response so far was, as some warned me, a text containing an unsavory photo. #Murica

Noooooooooooooooooo! In reference to the text. That is so crazy!!! Did you distribute to many neighbors? People still surprise me.

I am so glad you made connection with the next door neighbor. That is really nice.

Thank you for offering the download, yes, that would be wonderful!
 

Dee*Jay

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
15,105
The only other response so far was, as some warned me, a text containing an unsavory photo.

There is no hope for the human race.

I genuinely pray the object is said photo (and yes, I'm making an assumption) is subject to a different kind of disease that causes it to shrivel up in a painful way and ultimately fall off.
 

PreRaphaelite

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 2, 2015
Messages
3,564
Thank you for offering the download, yes, that would be wonderful!

This is a template in Pages, so if you don't have a Mac, it won't open. But you can download and open in Microsoft Word. (I hope that's ok) Top tip: use black&white settings on your printer. I used way too much color!

I printed 12 of them and cut them in half, for 24 slips. The idea was to reach out to my neighbors who tend toward elderly and, I suppose, infirm. The only time I hesitated was when putting them in mailboxes where there was a big political flag waving or posters in the yard. I did it anyway, but it did give me pause. I am a small warm doughy squishy solitary bleeding heart in the jungles of what can only be called... well, whatever the opposite is, of loving thy neighbor.
 

Loves Vintage

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 19, 2007
Messages
4,568
Aww thank you. I was able to download. Thanks for being you even if your current environment is not receptive. ☺️
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986

Found this from 2018 posted during Nurses week. Just wanted to share because it is so nice and also a huge thank you to all the nurses and healthcare professionals. Thank you for all you do for everyone else.
 

redwood66

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
7,329
This is cute. My other twin has had his hours cut at work and is living in their shared apartment by himself since his brother is deployed. Neither of them do much cooking but since he's staying in he is trying his hand at all kinds of things. Now I'm getting all these texts of pics of his food he's cooked and links to this guy Life of Boris and his cooking channel. I have no idea what kind of guy or channel this Life of Boris is so if you look at it and it's sketchy, I didn't know. The couple cooking ones I've watched are pretty hilarious though. The kid and I are very close and we miss seeing each other since he's been staying away. His texts and calls make me smile every day.
 

Dee*Jay

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 26, 2006
Messages
15,105
This is cute. My other twin has had his hours cut at work and is living in their shared apartment by himself since his brother is deployed. Neither of them do much cooking but since he's staying in he is trying his hand at all kinds of things. Now I'm getting all these texts of pics of his food he's cooked and links to this guy Life of Boris and his cooking channel. I have no idea what kind of guy or channel this Life of Boris is so if you look at it and it's sketchy, I didn't know. The couple cooking ones I've watched are pretty hilarious though. The kid and I are very close and we miss seeing each other since he's been staying away. His texts and calls make me smile every day.

Red, I often find myself bored to pieces, and I don't cook at all. Can you have your kid text me too?! :cheeky:
 

redwood66

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Aug 22, 2012
Messages
7,329
Red, I often find myself bored to pieces, and I don't cook at all. Can you have your kid text me too?! :cheeky:

LOL. It worries me though when he asked this morning "Should chicken have a little pink on the inside?"
 

MarionC

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Dec 9, 2013
Messages
6,246
One of my neighbors made masks for all of us. I open my mailbox yesterday afternoon and there was a beautiful handmade mask, red with white cranes, and a lovely note. I can’t imagine risking wearing it, but it certainly made my day!
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Messages
53,986
One of my neighbors made masks for all of us. I open my mailbox yesterday afternoon and there was a beautiful handmade mask, red with white cranes, and a lovely note. I can’t imagine risking wearing it, but it certainly made my day!

That is so wonderful!
Why wouldn't you wear it? I think it is better than no mask. Unless you have an N95 mask. But if not please do wear it if you have to go food shopping. And of course keep 6 feet plus away from everyone but I think you should wear it. Wash it in hot water and dry it on hot first of course. So happy your neighbors are looking out for each other. (((HUGS))).
 

MamaBee

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Messages
14,480
One of my neighbors made masks for all of us. I open my mailbox yesterday afternoon and there was a beautiful handmade mask, red with white cranes, and a lovely note. I can’t imagine risking wearing it, but it certainly made my day!

@Jimmianne That was so nice of her! I would give it a wipe with Lysol wipes wearing gloves. Leave it to dry for a week...I would frame it when this is all over...
 

Polabowla

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 15, 2019
Messages
1,866
There's a painting restorer on you tube that I enjoy watching (Baumgartner) & he set up a go fund me to raise money for the n95 masks . He has a supplier overseas that has re-tooled their machines to manufacture these masks.
When I checked last night it was over $50,000 raised!
I thought it was amazing of him to use his platform for such an important cause & so heartwarming to see how much was raised.

Edit it's now over $60,000.
 
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top