Imagine working a long shift in the hospital, focused on saving lives, anxiety-ridden with every new walk-in. Yet the next walk-in is a special delivery, a tray of fresh baked muffins, a hot pizza delivery, or homemade stew, accompanied by a family full of thank you cards. With tireless teams of medical professionals on the frontline of the global public health COVID-19 crisis, from doctors, nurses, diagnostic and imaging teams, to Magen David Adom emergency crews, medical professionals from around the country are feeling the heavy-hitting effects of the deadly virus. With their hard work, physically, mentally and emotionally, they can use as much support as they are giving.
One Israeli woman saw this need, and chose to initiate a solution to create a super support system. Adi Scope Karmon launched the Adopt-A-Doctor initiative in mid-March, and within 10 days saw over 1,300 volunteers and 550 medical professionals sign up. Karmon understood there was a gap between medical frontlines needing help and not being able or knowing whom to ask – and thousands of citizens sitting at home who want to help in some way and don’t know how.
Each medical professional is “adopted” by a volunteer or a team of volunteers, whose duty is to understand what they need in order to make life a little easier. Needs can include cooking or sending food during shifts or for arrival home, watching kids, going food shopping, walking pets, or donating parking spaces. There is also a website in which volunteers can donate money directly to the doctors to be able to order food.
Today, the Facebook group has over 9,385 members, and with every post with a need sparks hundreds of volunteer comments of support. There are currently 3,500 volunteers and 800 medical professionals who have been matched.
With the Israeli medical system working on overdrive, the results of the initiative so far are doing the job – connecting humans, and showing the support of citizens to those working hard during this crisis. Not only that, Israeli neighborhoods have taken to their porches at 18:00 in the evenings to cheer for the medical teams.
Karmon shares one more need – to send more doctors, more teams, more frontlines who they can support. She says, it’s beautiful that all in Israel can agree on this one mission – to take care of each other in this time of need.
To learn more, visit the website here.
