As COVID-19 continues to spread, medical professionals are working nonstop. A group of nursing students at the University of North Florida are working together to assist health care workers in the area.

While nursing students are not allowed to work in the hospitals at this time, they still have the desire to help medical staff. Respecting the Safer at Home Order, the nursing students have come up with ways to try and offer some relief. 

The UNF Student Nurses Association (SNA) has reached out to Publix grocery stores to ask for donations that can be taken to local hospitals. Additionally, they are writing cards to various units in the hospital to thank them for all their hard work. 

“We wanted to find a way to give back and help our local hospitals,” Said Emma Kleckner, Secretary and Treasurer for the UNF SNA. “The nurses are on the frontline fighting this pandemic, and we want to try and support them in any way possible, even if it is doing something as small as an encouraging note thanking them for what they are doing. We are also very aware that most of them are working maximum hours and have very little time to stop and think about making something to eat.” 

Jessica Torres, a student in the Accelerated Nursing Program, was also looking for a way to give back. “I think many people who go into health care want to help others.  For me, finding myself with a lot more time on my hands while others are struggling led me to want to find a way to support others.” Torres and a few others are sewing non-surgical face masks for health care workers and high-risk community members. They are also offering childcare for those who need some extra help. 

UNF’s School of Nursing has donated all of their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to local hospitals. 

“The biggest way to help out the health care workers is to stay home and follow the social distancing guidelines provided by the CDC,” Kleckner advised. “We need to slow the spread of COVID-19 to give our healthcare workers a fighting chance to save the lives of the people coming into the hospital.” 

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