Detroit nurse continues mission to thank unsung health care workers


Detroit nurse continues mission to thank unsung health care workers

Kyla L. Wright, Special to the Detroit Free Press
Published 6:00 a.m. ET June 8, 2020

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While watching her mother care for her sick father, Hawa Hoff knew in middle school that caring for others was in her blood.

After earning a master’s degree at Michigan State University, Hoff went on to work as a nurse for 23 years (and counting), and obtained her doctorate of nursing. Hoff says that early in her career she underestimated how much the phrase “thank you” would mean to her and her colleagues.

As the coronavirus outbreak began, Hoff felt a responsibility to thank people treating COVID-19 patients. Hoff spoke with friends and co-workers who described their hospitals as “war zones.”

“They were afraid, and I thought, what could I do?” said Hoff, 45 of Detroit.  That’s why she created the Facebook Group, “Frontline Healthcare Workers Appreciation Group: We’re Showing Up.”

Volunteers cheer on health care workers at Hartford Nursing and Rehab Center in Detroit. (Photo: Hawa Hoff)

Through the group, which has drawn more than 2,000 members, she organizes caravans to area hospitals to cheer health care workers from their cars. To ensure safety, Hoff enforces social distancing, mask wearing and requires that there are no more than 20 cars attending an event.

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Hoff recalled the idea being met with skepticism, remembering someone saying, “no, you just need to say home, it’s too crazy out there.” That didn’t stop Hoff, though. “I thought, well they go there every day – we can still social distance and abide by the laws and make this happen!”

Working in the ICU, Hoff recalled, “No one would really tell us ‘thank you.’ We would be saving six, seven lives at a time and at the end of the day it was, ‘okay, see you tomorrow.’ That’s what prompted me to do this movement.”

As the group’s events started, at one hospital, security came out and told them that they had to leave. Instead of stopping, Hoff shifted the group’s attention. “We still have this forgotten group of people at the nursing homes in and around the city, and the suburbs,” Hoff said.

Debra DeBose  65 of Southfield, has participated since the beginning. She recalled seeing the joy on workers’ faces after the first event she attended. “I was hooked,” DeBose said. “Going to these appreciation events gave me a feeling that I was contributing to their health and welfare in some small way.”

Hoff, Byers and DeBose all recalled seeing workers break down in tears, overwhelmed with gratitude. DeBose specifically remembered a worker at Lahser Hills Care Center in Southfield saying, “’You just don’t know how much we appreciate the fact that you appreciate us,’ and that’s what touched me the most,” DeBose said.

Christy Chalfant Byers, 42 of Detroit, participates with her children, ages 11 to 15. They make signs beforehand, to display their thanks. “They cheer, yell, clap, they say ‘thank you’ and little encouraging things to nurses and doctors,” she said. 

The group has held more than 30 events. Hoff expects to hold a few more and will be ready for a second wave of the virus. “COVID is not gone and these people are risking their lives,” she said. 

Read or Share this story: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/06/08/hawa-hoff-coronavirus-frontline-workers/5286984002/


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