When the news becomes too much, see that there is help
In a week of stunning images, this one stood out: The massive Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort sailing into New York Harbor, flanked by police boats, gliding by the Statue of Liberty.
It was there to take on non-coronavirus cases, to relieve overrun New York City hospitals.
In Central Park, an emergency field hospital rose, 14 white tents staffed by a team of 72 doctors, nurses and other health care workers from Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical Christian disaster relief organization. Makeshift hospitals were also underway in the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan and the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
Retired nurses, doctors and therapists returned to work. Medical schools graduated students early, so they could go to work.
The top of the Empire State Building flashed red, a 1,400-foot-high heartbeat in the sky, to thank all those on the front lines.
Around the city, every night at 7, people stood outside to clap for medical workers.
Around the country, people put teddy bears in windows for kids to find on walks. Teachers drove through neighborhoods to wave at students, to tell them it’s OK, we’re still here.
When a doctor was pulled over for speeding in Minnesota, the police officer gave her five masks instead of a ticket.
When a 5-year-old’s birthday party was canceled in Eatontown, New Jersey, fire trucks paraded down his street to help him celebrate.
When a flower store in Naples, Florida, had a wave of canceled orders, the owner loaded up buckets of fresh flowers and drove around the city, giving them away.
An 87-year-old Warwick, Rhode Island, woman called police Friday because she had no food in the house and the community center couldn’t help her until Monday. An officer asked for her list and went shopping.
In Milan, Michigan, neighbors step out side each night at 7 and just smile and wave to each other.
In Indianapolis, they sing.
In every city, in every neighborhood, on every block, people are offering to help, to do what they can. We are, too.
The USA TODAY Network has more than 5,000 journalists across the country covering this crisis for their communities. All the coverage is free outside paywalls at more than 250 news sites.
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We are part of the communities we cover and are eager to support our neighbors. So our company created a website, supportlocal.usatoday.com, that connects hundreds of small businesses and the people who want to support them by buying gift certificates.
We know you’re worried about your job, your mortgage, your bills. The hardships hit home this week when our company, Gannett, announced costcutting measures, including furloughs for journalists.
We get it. We’ve assembled an expert group of reporters to answer your questions about unemployment, the stimulus and your rights. Our Money team will answer questions on your benefits and bills. Our Washington team will help you with the federal stimulus plan. Consider us your personal finance strike team. You can ask questions at money.usatoday.com. We’ll answer them there as well.
We also know this is hard. Really hard.
You, your friends or family may be sick (we have sick co-workers, too). The kids are home, and you’re trying to watch or teach them while you work (us, too). You’re eating too much and not getting enough exercise. (Ditto.)
It helps to know that you’re not alone. We’ve started a newsletter, “Staying Apart. Together,” to share tips (including one on sleep), diversions (such as 10 great livestream concerts) and how-tos – things to make living easier during this unprecedented time. We even created a guided meditation, inviting you to pause, relax your mind and breathe.
As the stress builds, as the times get tougher, we’re here to help.
It’s our mission. It’s what we do. Photojournalist Lola Gomez at the Austin American-Statesman, part of the USA TODAY Network, was hospitalized this week with COVID-19. She reported the news in a video from her hospital bed.
“I wanted to share my story as a journalist and a regular human being that nobody is exempt from this,” she texted Thursday. “If (people) don’t believe in news, they should believe in people that are telling their own stories of being sick with COVID-19 and in doctors and nurses telling their stories about how they are struggling to treat patients.”
She made the same plea in her video: “Try to be informed the right way,” she said. “News reporters, photographers videographers ... are working – I mean even more than 40 hours per week – to get you the news as soon as they have it. So take care of yourself.”
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