HONORING HEALTHCARE HEROES
The Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage world wide. Front line health care workers do their duty with courage and sincerity globally, often without appropriate personal protective equipment, at great risk to their own lives.
Civil Society cries out to acknowledge these noble professionals who have played a meaningful role in helping humanity for this past year. But How? And When?
What better way to honor health care workers who served in the pandemic than to plant trees? Trees symbolize life. They are a central path to heal mother earth. And trees planted for every member of the healthcare team acknowledge the enormous compassionate care given for those who suffered and died alone in the year of Covid-19. Trees are a palpable recognition of the grief healthcare providers experienced, some of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice. Planting trees commemorates the bravery of all in healthcare and puts our gratitude into action.
At a major healthcare system, MedStar Health in Washington, DC, a company with 30,000 associates, we developed a straightforward method to plant trees for every member of the medical team. With an activist leader, philanthropy support and a partner for implementation, this program can be done anywhere.
Dr. Stephen Peterson, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and member of the Steering Committee of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance (www.climatePsychiatryalliance.org) has shown us how and why the Medstar program was conceived and developed.
Tree planting mitigates climate change and will help lessen the risks of pandemics in the future.
For guidance in implementation of this idea locally, where ever you live, please contact: behram@fezana.org
Medstar Health tree project press release
More than 30,000 trees were planted in Madagascar and Tanzania. Mangroves were selected since they prevent coastal erosion and create an ecosystem that provides jobs for the local people. The operation was carried out by Forest Planet www.Forestplanet.org , an NGO led by Mr. Hank Dearden
