Help Us Help Our Healthcare Heroes

The past 18 months have seen our communities come together to support each other and collaborate in the most creative ways we could find, in the most challenging times we could ever have imagined. All throughout this pandemic, we have been protected, treated and healed by healthcare heroes on the front line, fighting to save our lives while risking their own.

And in honour of these brave workers we couldn’t be more excited to bring to you the biggest collaboration of all.

THE BLIZZARDS

The Blizzards have teamed up with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, for a brand-new orchestral recording of their biggest hit ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’ .

This exciting collaboration came about to raise awareness and funding for HEROES AID, an incredible not-for-profit organisation providing access to a range of wellbeing services for front line workers, including: a 24hr Freephone helpline, counselling services, online wellbeing support tools and specialist wellbeing information. Other benefits, such as exclusive online offers for frontline healthcare workers and their families are being introduced with the relaunched HEROES AID website.

RTE CONCERT ORCHESTRA

In a moving show of solidarity to honour this vital support service for our dedicated front line workers, ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’ will be launched all radio stations in Ireland at 9.25am on Monday the 11th of October and played on every radio station in Ireland at the exact same time, encouraging listeners to donate at www.GoFundMe.com/heroesaid21

This synchronisation was made possible through the collaborative support of Bauer Media Group, RTÉ 2FM, FM104, and iRadio.

OUR HEALTHCARE HEROES

At one point during the pandemic Ireland was reported to have the highest Covid-19 infection rates among healthcare workers in the world. In May 2020, healthcare workers accounted for a third of all positive Covid-19 cases in Ireland. 88% of healthcare workers acquired the infection in the workplace and, like every other section of society, sadly there were a number of fatalities.

Most people in Ireland will have experienced first-hand the impact of the Covid 19 pandemic, that includes uncertainty, lack of access to loved ones, isolation, family pressure and financial hardship. On top of this our healthcare workers have experienced additional impacts such as excessive workload over prolonged periods, emotional distress from caring for severely ill patients, physical hardship arising from constant PPE use (and the initial shortage of PPE), frustration at seeing critical services, already under pressure, hindered by the unrelenting demands of the pandemic. This has inevitably taken its toll with many staff experiencing psychological distress, unending exhaustion and total burnout.

ABOUT HEROES AID

HEROES AID is a new Irish charity that aims to support for our frontline healthcare workers. The charity began by sourcing and delivering much needed PPE to healthcare staff who were working throughout the early days of pandemic. HEROES AID has now expanded its service to offer educational, psychological and wellbeing support for all healthcare staff and their immediate family members who have been adversely impacted by Covid-19.

The funds raised from this appeal will be used to provide a practical support for healthcare workers 24/7. This includes online access to self-help and advice, ranging from personal finance to family education; from psychological support to confidential counselling; and from stress management to wellbeing intervention. With the expansion of its services HEROES AID has just relaunched its website with exclusive offers for healthcare workers and their families. In the coming months HEROES AID will be carrying out research among frontline healthcare workers to determine what further support structures are needed for these dedicated and exceptional people who constantly put themselves on the line for all of us.

Before we move on past this global catastrophe, now is the time to give back to the people who were there for us when we needed them most.