By Henry Brown
If you’re of the belief that businesses make up an important part of the community, then it’s important to recognize you have a corporate social responsibility to fulfill. Typically, this means helping with community programs and sparing resources for local causes. During the pandemic, however, few organizations need community support and resources as much as local health care services such as emergency rooms, outpatient clinics, and the like. But what can you do to help them?
Consider making the pivot
Though it’s not quite as vital as it was previously, there is still a shortage of products such as disposable facemasks, gloves, and other protective gear that is going on with health care practices throughout the country. It’s not something that all businesses can do but if manufacturing is within the scope of your business, then advice from Inc can show you how to pivot to making gear that could be of use to health care providers during the pandemic. A lot of businesses have revamped their entire business model during the crisis, could you do that, too?
Helping them restock vital supplies
You might not be able to buy medicine or surgical tools for your local practice with ease, but there are supplies that you might be able to procure for them. This can be done with your own earnings or as part of a fundraising initiative through sites like ScripHessco. Hygiene gear such as disinfectants, sanitizer, and cleansers, as well as personal protective gear like gloves and gowns, are more in demand than ever so it may be worth getting in touch with a local practice to see what they need.
Encourage volunteering from your team
Aside from organizing to help them restock on supplies, you can also encourage your team to volunteertheir time to local health and emergency care organizations. If you have any members of your team trained in emergency care, they might be able to join some of the local citizen emergency groups, such as first responders, for instance. Otherwise, there may be practices that could use additional labor such as admin work to help them cope with the sheer demand of running during a pandemic that is stretching practically all resources thin. Your staff may perform brilliantly in their voluntary duties, and if so then it would be wise to learn the importance of appreciating volunteers and letting them know how proud and thankful you are of them. It will feel very rewarding for your team, and your appreciation could go a long way in the future.
Fight disinformation and willful disobedience
There is, unfortunately, a disinformation war that is raging along with the pandemic and it’s prompting a lot of people to partake in actions that are only increasing the burden on local healthcare practices as a result. Putting in place a strong COVID-19 policy in your business, including cleaning procedures and enforced social distancing can help. However, you can also do your part in fighting disinformation by using your platforms to offer resources from organizations like the CDC on how to best fight the spread.
You don’t have to be a health care expert to help local practices and hospitals cope with the sheer volume of work they’ve been handling since the start of the pandemic. Following the tips above can be enough.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
