UR Medicine Home Care Seeks In-Kind Donations

Calling on the community to help fill “We Care” packages for 600 in-home health care providers

A UR Medicine Home Care staff member

When asked, most people say they would prefer to stay in their own homes rather than go to a hospital or facility to receive care. “That’s especially important now,” says Margaret Wiant, UR Medicine Home Care’s director of public relations. “It’s critical that we, at UR Medicine Home Care, do what we can to keep people out of hospitals during the pandemic.”

UR Medicine Home Care, a certified home health agency and hospice program, serves seven counties in Western New York and employs 600 nurses, home health aides, and physical and occupational therapists. Its clinical team cares for some of the community’s most vulnerable populations, including those recovering from surgery and illness as well as others with cancer, heart disease, and a variety of other health conditions.

To recognize the important role of its frontline clinical staff, the UR Medicine Home Care just launched its “We Care” program. The agency is asking the community for in-kind donations to fill “We Care” packages that it hopes to deliver to all frontline visiting staff in early May. Suggested items include candy, gum, gift bags, and $5—$10 gift cards to Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Dunkin Donuts. The agency has already has received soap, hand sanitizer, a generous chocolate donation from Andy’s Candies, along with some other small items.

“In the days ahead, our nurses, therapists, and aides are going to be called on to go above and way beyond the call of duty in order to keep people safe, healthy, and independent,” says Wiant. “Their jobs will be tantamount to a health care rollercoaster ride of stress, pressure, and exhaustion. Most will do this very tough job without complaint.”

Wiant adds, “Giving our in-home care providers these care packages is just a small way for us—as a community—to say ‘thank you’ and to remind our team that their work matters and truly makes a difference.”

To make a donation, contact Margaret Wiant by Friday, April 24, 2020. The agency is trying to limit the number of hands on each donation. Please consider donating items in bulk and having them delivered directly to Wiant’s attention at 2180 Empire BLVD., Webster, NY 14580.

Looking for more ways to help? Consider donating supplies or food, giving blood (URMC is facing a critical shortage), making a gift to our COVID-19 emergency fund or support our student emergency fund.