Remodel for Reason Winner!

In July, Paint Track Painting Services, the creators of the Remodel for Reason project, nominated us to participate. The project’s mission is to give back to COVID-19 healthcare professionals and frontline workers by offering complimentary painting services as a token of our appreciation. Then, we asked our community to nominate local frontline workers for this project. After receiving numerous nominations from our community, we finally picked a winner for our project.

Our winner is…Sam Schulte!

Sam works for Neighbor Care Health, a local non-profit organization. Neighbor Care Health does outreach for people experiencing homelessness or people seeking healthcare. In 2020, the organization provides housing facilities, COVID testing, and general healthcare services to these individuals. Sam serves primarily as a Nurse Care Coordinator for substance abuse patients. In this position, she connects patients with rehabilitation programs and medical assistance.

Sam’s COVID-19 Impact Story

When the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in New York City, Sam volunteered to travel to the city to aid hospital nurses. In discussion with colleagues from nursing school, Sam heard about how they did with no days off and cared for patients with illnesses or injuries outside of their expertise. With over two years of ICU experience, she had a skill set that was needed in the overburdened hospitals.

Like other traveling nurses and volunteers during the pandemic, Sam saw how grateful and relieved the hospital employees were to have extra help. To describe the situation in New York, Sam explained that all patients in the hospitals were ICU patients. In hospitals with only 15 ICU beds before COVID, the number of patients surpassed any proper care expectations. For a month, Sam worked in the ICU caring for patients who were not allowed visitors during the most traumatic moments of their lives. She held phones for patients, experiencing intimate moments with them and their families. One highlight of her experience was the cheers and music for healthcare workers heard every night. Healthcare workers and essential workers will continue to deserve support and praise as they work to keep us safe and comfortable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sam’s COVID-19 Prevention Tips:

• Her #1 Rule: Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer every chance you get or, at the very least, when you get back into a space that is yours. 
• Respect social distancing. It is essential to recognize the more work we do on our end, the sooner it will be over. 
• If someone does get sick, stay home. Be cautious. 
• Testing is widely spread. Get tested! 

We want to thank our community for nominating their local essential workers! We will post an update on Sam’s project soon!

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