As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, medical first responders are risking their lives each day to go to work and do their jobs in the midst of hospital supply shortages and scary conditions. One silver lining is how people and organizations are rallying to give back to these heroes.
Today, Shonda Rhimes, the creator and showrunner of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” has joined forces with talent from the entire Shondaland community to give back to healthcare workers though the #FirstRespondersFirst fund, and encourage all of us to follow their lead. All donations to #FirstRespondersFirst, an initiative from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Thrive Global, and the CAA Foundation, go towards providing healthcare workers with the physical and psychological resources they so desperately need. From providing protective gear, like gloves and masks, to providing accommodations, child care, meals, and resources to support their mental health, the organization is helping those on the front lines with all their essential needs.
“For a long time I wrote a show that allowed me to make up a medical crisis every week so I could put fake doctors out there to pretend to fake save lives. Well, now we are in the middle of a very real medical crisis,” Rhimes shares on her Twitter and Instagram. “And we have very real healthcare workers out there on the front lines actually trying to save lives. They are taking care of us when we can’t take care of ourselves.”
She continued: “They are risking their health and safety every single day — for you and for me. They deserve our gratitude and they definitely deserve our support. There is no amount that’s too small, not even a dollar.”
Rhimes has also enlisted the help of the Shondaland family to help spread the word. Actors from “Grey’s Anatomy” (Kim Raver, Greg Germann, Sara Ramírez, Jason George, Sarah Drew), “Scandal” (Bellamy Young, Dan Bucatinsky, Tony Goldwyn, George Newbern, Joshua Malina ), “How to Get Away With Murder” (Viola Davis, Katie Lowes, Charlie Webber, Darby Stanchfield, Liza Weil), and more have joined the movement, encouraging people to support #FirstRespondersFirst.
To help #FirstRespondersFirst Fund provide the supplies, equipment, and resources that healthcare professionals need to safely continue doing their work, text FIRST to 50555 or visit thriveglobal.com/firstresponders to donate.