Sentara Martha Jefferson lights up hospital for hope
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital is trying to spread hope during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, the hospital lit the "Lights of Hope" across the exterior of the building. The hospital aims for these new exterior lights to be a sign of hope for the community, and maybe even start a national trend.
“We're all looking for ways to band together. I think the whole entire United States has found ways to come together as a nation and to make our communities stronger, we're looking for ways to support each other. And this is a visual way that we can express our love while we have to stay distant from each other,” Kimberly Skelly, with Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, said
The lights are also a lead-in to Giving Tuesday, a global day of giving and unity. They will be lit each night during the pandemic.
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hosptial Press Release:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – As a beacon of hope for the Charlottesville community, Sentara Martha Jefferson will light up the main hospital the evening of Monday, May 4. The hospital has installed exterior lights along the building’s edges, and these “Lights of Hope” will shine each evening throughout the coronavirus pandemic as a sign of hope for the community, and a reminder of community solidarity. The lights are also a lead-in to #GivingTuesdayNow on May 5, a national and global day of giving and unity as an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19.
“The Sentara Martha Jefferson team is strong, but I’ve never seen our team work harder for our community than over the past few months,” said Jonathan Davis, FACHE, president of Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. “The Lights of Hope shine to express our admiration for the strength and resilience of our frontline caregivers, to express our gratitude to our community for their on-going generous support, to provide a symbol of our solidarity as a community, and to be a call to action—for all to shine their lights, express their gratitude and know we stand together in this fight.”
The lights also serve as a reminder to the community that the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation has established an Emergency Response Fund to ensure that the hospital has dedicated funds to meet the sudden, but rapidly evolving and ongoing, healthcare needs of our community during the current COVID-19 crisis, and into the future. The Fund will support the hospital’s emergency preparation efforts; innovations to develop and implement new medical protocols; efforts to retrain and support staff; new programs to connect patients and family members; and community outreach initiatives to reduce hospitalizations and save lives throughout our region.
“Since the outset of this pandemic, the Martha Jefferson Hospital Foundation has focused on what we can do to align the desire of our community to help with the needs of our hospital, our patients and their families, and our staff,” said Kimberly Skelly, executive director of the Foundation. “The generosity of our community has been overwhelming and is making a big difference—from the Meal Train and the donations of PPE, to the outpouring of messages online, the signs around the grounds and the generous financial contributions that continue to come in. We encourage others to support the Emergency Response Fund on Giving Tuesday and beyond, and we thank you all for your generosity.”
If you would like to support Sentara Martha Jefferson, you can do so in the following ways:
- Place lights or candles in your window, or outside your home, and shine your “Lights of Hope” along with the hospital.
- Make a financial contribution to the Emergency Response Fund: https://www.mjhfoundation.org/forms/---donate-now---general
- Continue to support the hospital through donations of supplies and homemade masks for Philips Cancer Center patients
- Send a message of gratitude to our nurses and frontline staff: https://www.mjhfoundation.org/forms/covid-19-gratitude-notes
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