Giving thanks in a challenging year

November is the month for giving thanks. As Covid-19 alters our traditional means of celebrating Thanksgiving, it will not take away the heart of the holiday, which is a time for reflection and appreciation for what we have, and the people who make our lives worth living. At The Floating Hospital, we have much to be thankful for this season, despite a pandemic that challenged us on every level.

We were fortunate that the furloughs we were forced to employ at the very beginning of the pandemic were brief, and that all staff members were returned to their positions. We were awash in waves of gratitude as the local restaurant community rallied around our staff, providing meals and donating food for our shelter patients who were brave enough to make it into the waiting rooms. We were bolstered by those long-standing in-kind donors who, when we were tapped out sourcing necessities, saw to it that we had everything from hand sanitizers and masks to diapers and baby formula for new mothers facing the isolation of homeless shelters and safe houses.

As an organization, we are blessed with a caring and brave staff of amazing individuals who rallied to assure that those in our community could access the healthcare, health education, free transportation, and essentials that have become our hallmark. Our transportation drivers delivered staff to work safely to avoid exposure to Covid in public transportation. Our health educators took on varied roles as classroom settings became a thing of the recent past. Our entire clinical care teams adapted to telehealth to stay connected to those patients who needed us most. Local politicians reached out repeatedly with masks, sanitizer and other needs. The Board of Trustees of both the hospital and our foundation were ever-present with support and praise for our team. And the donors and private foundations that fuel our mission were there when we needed them most. We thank you all, deeply.

In appreciation for all we have and all you have given us, all of us at The Floating Hospital wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

Sean T. Granahan Esq., President and General Counsel