As holidays near, tributes pour in for health care workers on Colorado’s COVID-19 front lines

On Friday, as sunlight streamed into the main entrance of Banner Health’s Fort Collins Medical Center, roughly a dozen employees — from nurses and respiratory therapists to a uniformed security guard — clenched lengths of white ribbon in their hands. 

Walking out in front of the sprawling building, they made a beeline to a small tree and started tying their ribbons onto its leafless branches. 

The white ribbons, chosen to symbolize unity and hope, whipped in the wind as more were added.

The event was a part of Operation White Lights, a movement to encourage the public to show support for health care workers by displaying white ribbons and white lights.

Friday’s event was short and sweet, and one of many shows of support — both big and small — for Northern Colorado’s frontline health care workers this holiday season. 

“I think tributes to our health care workers are invaluable,” said Chris Joder, associate director of inpatient services for the Fort Collins medical center, after tying a white ribbon to the tree. “We tend not to recognize our own efforts because this is what we do every day.”

© Bethany Baker / The Coloradoan
Chris Joder, an employee at Banner Health Fort Collins Medical Center, ties a white ribbon to a tree outside the medical center as Banner Health of Northern Colorado partners with Centura Health in Operation White Lights, a grassroots movement to honor all medical workers delivering care for the community during the coronavirus pandemic, in Fort Collins, Colo. on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. The movement encourages the public to also show their support by displaying white ribbons and white lights.

Working in health care amid the COVID-19 pandemic has “been very dynamic, ever changing … a little scary,” Joder said. “COVID is 24/7 for us. This is what you plan for but hope it never happens.”

Colorado health care workers had been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic for roughly seven months when the state started entering its third wave of the virus this October. Colorado’s daily COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations climbed, peaking at 6,620 new daily cases on Nov. 12 and 1,977 hospitalizations for the virus on Dec. 1. 

Due to the surge, Banner Health — like many health care systems — has been experiencing staff shortages. In Northern Colorado alone, the health care system says more than 200 of its corporate employees have taken on new tasks, like restocking hospital supplies, cleaning rooms and answering phones, to let its short-staffed health care teams focus more on direct patient care. 

On Monday, a few days after the ribbon event, staff at Banner Health’s Fort Collins Medical Center got more local support when Poudre Fire Authority personnel dropped off a banner signed by Northern Colorado first responders as part of a thank-you campaign from fire departments and law enforcement agencies in Larimer, Weld and Boulder counties.

Work on the collaborative banner project started last week — born out of idea from a Poudre Fire Authority battalion chief, according to PFA Public Information Officer Annie Bierbower. 

“It had been a while since we showed our appreciation,” Bierbower said, adding that PFA had taken part in tributes for health care workers earlier this year at the onset of the pandemic in Colorado.

In total, nine area hospitals, including Banner Health’s Fort Collins Medical Center and UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital, were given thank-you banners Monday afternoon.

© Poudre Fire Authority
Staff of UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital are presented with a thank you banner from area fire crews and first responders Monday afternoon. This was one of nine banners to go to area hospitals as a thank you to its workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the banner delivery and salute to workers at UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital Monday, employees of the hospital were greeted by lines of uniformed first responders and fire engines from PFA, Wellington Fire Protection District and Windsor Severance Fire Rescue, Bierbower said.

The engines blasted holiday music, and Windsor Severance Fire Rescue Chief Kris Kazian showed up in a Santa suit, telling the hospital’s staff they had definitely secured a spot on the big man’s nice list this year, according to Bierbower.

Hospital staff were then presented with the banner, which had been signed with personal thank-you notes from employees of the participating agencies. 

It’s one of the many random acts of kindness UCHealth’s frontline health care workers have seen throughout the pandemic — from encouraging chalk messages written on their hospital sidewalks to donations of gourmet cookies to a Dec. 12 parade of vintage Volkswagens outside of UCHealth Poudre Valley Hospital organized by Fort Collins’ Rare Air Dub Club, according to UCHealth spokesperson Kelly Tracer. 

“They have been there for 10 months … and they are still there just working and working and working,” Bierbower said, adding that the banner was for all hospital staff — from nurses and billing specialists to administrative employees and custodians.

“We wanted them to have a physical reminder that they could see and that would make them smile.”

Want to do something special for health care worker? 

Banner Health

Due to safety concerns and staffing, Banner Health cannot accept food donations for its busy health care workers. Instead, they’re asking interested community members to donate to their respective local foundations: North Colorado Medical Center Foundation and McKee Wellness Foundation. Donations will be used to plan and distribute meals and provide various items for employees, according to Banner Health. 

UCHealth

• Say thank you: Thank a UCHealth health care worker by sending them a quick note through this online UCHealth form, https://www.uchealth.org/extraordinary/thankyouform/.
• Donate blood: With supplies low, the UCHealth Garth Englund Blood Center has put out an urgent request for blood donors. To schedule an appointment (or learn about donating convalescent plasma once you’ve recovered from COVID-19), call the Fort Collins blood center at 970-495-8965.
• Give a gift: UCHealth is not accepting meal donations for its frontline employees, as it’s been providing them meals daily. Instead, the health system is accepting commercially prepackaged items like snacks and water. To give an in-kind food gift, first coordinate with UCHealth staff by calling 970-624-1870 or by filling out this online form.
• Make a monetary donation: Interested in paying it forward with your pocketbook? Monetary donations can be made directly to the UCHealth Northern Colorado Foundation. Contributions are used for staff meals, COVID-19 research and equipment and technology needs. For more information, head to the foundation’s website or call 970-237-7400.

Sources: UCHealth and Banner Health

Erin Udell reports on news, culture, history and more for the Coloradoan. Contact her at [email protected]. The only way she can keep doing what she does is with your support. If you subscribe, thank you. If not, sign up for a digital subscription to the Coloradoan today. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: As holidays near, tributes pour in for health care workers on Colorado’s COVID-19 front lines