About a year into the pandemic, COVID-19 has contributed to more than a half-million deaths across the United States, with more than 30 million Americans testing positive for the coronavirus since January 2020.
In tribute to the lives lost and the survivors who have battled the coronavirus, AdventHealth locations across the U.S. are holding moments of silence, hosting memorials, illuminating buildings, and planting flags of honor and hope. Enduring through incredibly challenging times, team members at AdventHealth are also honoring each other and making sacrifices to care for their communities through the challenging waves and impacts of the pandemic.
“On any given day, our team members see both heartbreak and healing among the people they care for,” Brent Box, chief medical officer for AdventHealth, said. “Both of these emotions are felt strongly as we remember those who have suffered from COVID-19, recognize those who have cared for our communities through the pandemic, and look to the hope that shines for a better tomorrow.
“We urge people to stay vigilant and protect themselves and others,” he added. “There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it can quickly go dim if we let our guard down.”
Hope Shines On
AdventHealth locations across the state of Florida were illuminated in blue, honoring the lives lost and those impacted by the pandemic with the Hope Shines On campaign. This remembrance campaign was an invitation to the community to participate by joining in the illumination of city landmarks, holding moments of silence throughout the week, and sharing inspirational reflections on social media using #HopeShinesOn.
A Garden of Healing
AdventHealth Shawnee Mission in Kansas City joined in the message of Hope Shines On with the word HOPE lit in blue on the hospital’s tower. Flags were also arranged in the hospital’s healing garden commemorating health-care workers and the lives lost to the virus. The hospital also held a memorial service, with a COVID-19 survivor delivering remarks.
A Sea of Flags
Texas Health Huguley Hospital, a joint venture of AdventHealth and Texas Health Resources, had its first COVID-19 patient on March 23, 2020. In observance of one year since then, team members spent the week placing colored flags at the hospital entrance. White flags were dedicated to the lives taken by COVID-19, blue flags for those who are healing from the impact of the past year, and green flags for the hope that brighter days are ahead.
The original version of this story was posted on the AdventHealth news site.
