JEFFERSON CITY — While national media concentrates on the rising COVID infection rates in southwest Missouri, Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, is focused on the wellness of Missourians. He sees the stress in the frontline essential workers, especially health care teams, and hears the stress in the voices of his constituents sharing their concerns. Mostly, he wants everyone to know they can make a difference in beating the pandemic.
“First of all, we’re in this together. Secondly, our individual acts of good heartedness and collaboration can make a huge difference,” Sen. Hough said.
Senator Hough is networking with business leaders and elected officials on an unseen menace among essential workers: fatigue and burnout.
“With the spike in COVID cases and no clear end to the pandemic, anyone can experience stress and anxiety, but our health care and essential workers may experience higher rates,” Sen. Hough said.
Frontline health care staff frequently work double shifts due to staffing shortages, often while physically and emotionally exhausted. Their jobs are hands-on, face-to-face and involve life-saving responsibilities. With COVID rates increasing, so is loss of life. This is especially hard for Missourians trained to save lives.
“This is why I’m encouraging all Missourians to unite in kind and collaborative ways to help our frontline workers who keep us healthy and informed,” Sen. Hough said. “Kind acts can be individual or through a mutual group, such as your faith community, sports team, service group, book club, neighborhood association or others.”
Below are Sen. Hough’s suggestions on how individuals and groups can collaborate on acts of kindness.
How you can help essential workers:
- Identify essential workers you know personally;
- Ask the person how they are doing and if you can ease their stress; and
- Consider and offer these ways to assist:
- Walk the dog or feed/check on their pets;
- Take them a meal they can eat when the get home or freeze for later use;
- Mow their lawn or water their garden;
- Run an errand for them;
- Drop off flowers, an encouraging card or other pleasant surprise; and
- Ask them ways you can assist.
How a group can help:
- “Adopt” essential workers, such as a health care team at a hospital, nursing home, clinic or other location;
- Ask the employer/staff how your group can help essential workers at their workplace;
- Organize food delivery or sponsor a food or ice cream truck for essential workers as a thank you;
- Inquire if anyone has a food allergy or restrictions and provide options, as feasible;
- Follow food health and safety best practices;
- Schedule a car parade to drive past health care facilities or other work locations;
- Create and place inspiring signs in the lawn at their work location, with permission, of course; and
- Organize church choirs, school bands or other musical groups to serenade work places during shift change or other appropriate time.
For more information, connect with Sen. Hough at Lincoln.hough@senate.mo.gov or 573-751-1311.
To learn more about Sen. Hough and his legislation, please visit senate.mo.gov/hough.