{"id":124041,"date":"2021-11-02T10:04:36","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T14:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=124041"},"modified":"2021-11-02T10:04:36","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T14:04:36","slug":"ucf-med-student-community-say-thank-you-to-first-responders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/ucf-med-student-community-say-thank-you-to-first-responders\/","title":{"rendered":"UCF Med Student, Community Say Thank You To First Responders"},"content":{"rendered":"

When medical student Brittany Perry told leaders of UCF\u2019s new hospital she wanted to provide treats for first-responders treating COVID-19 patients, they thought she might deliver cupcakes. Instead, thanks to Lake Nona\u2019s community, Perry collected $5,000 worth of gift cards and restaurant coupons for healthcare providers because \u201ca little gratitude goes a long way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brittany Perry delivers thank you packages to first responders at UCF Lake Nona Medical Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have worked in emergency rooms and hospitals and they\u2019re under so much stress and then you add to that a pandemic,\u201d she says. \u201cI wanted to show them that we all care \u2013 especially because we are right next door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perry and fellow students in the Class of 2024 enrolled in medical school during a global pandemic and did most of their first-year training remotely. They saw each other and their faculty largely on Zoom, with very few in-person encounters. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get out much,\u201d she says, laughing. One of her few public excursions was touring UCF Lake Nona Medical Center, the College of Medicine\u2019s new partnership hospital with HCA Healthcare, that opened March 1 adjacent to the med school campus.<\/p>\n

When the Delta variant hit, Perry says she was reminded and inspired by her experience living in Finland, where she was a Fulbright Scholar studying maternal and child health. She says that Nordic country makes creating community part of its culture, including neighborhoods support groups for new mothers.<\/p>\n

So she started emailing Lake Nona eateries and shops. She told them she was a UCF medical student and asked if they would donate gift cards, certificates or coupons for providers at UCF\u2019s medical center.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople didn\u2019t bat an eye,\u201d she says. \u201cThey were incredibly generous.<\/p>\n

She walked into one community restaurant and asked about gift cards. The manager came out with a box of 1,000. Another eatery was having its grand opening celebration and stopped the festivities to provide cards.<\/p>\n

Donations were so generous and Brittany and several of her classmates were able to create 200 decorated thank you packages, and even had enough to donate some to the Orlando VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n

UCF Lake Nona Medical Center has more healthcare providers than gifts, so it\u2019s been holding raffles. An ICU physician was in the lobby when Perry delivered the packages and was so thankful she was close to tears.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were extremely touched by the generosity of not only the community, but of the UCF College of Medicine students who took the time to thank our hospital,\u201d says the hospital\u2019s leader, Wendy Brandon. \u201cOur team of frontline caregivers and colleagues appreciated these gifts and are again reminded of why our Lake Nona community is so very special.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to these generous Lake Nona contributors:<\/p>\n