Admissions are surging at Columbia, Mo.-based University Hospital, and the community is stepping up to take meal prep off employees' plates, the Columbia Missourian reported Jan. 2.
Seventy-eight percent of beds at the hospital are occupied because of the "tripledemic" of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus and influenza, forcing many healthcare workers to take double shifts. The local rotary club has relaunched a program it began in 2020 — "Meals for Healthcare Heroes" — to feed overworked hospital staff.
Money is raised via a GoFundMe page, then sent to local restaurants, who will deliver meals to healthcare employees.
University Hospital is a member of MU Health Care.