April 11, 2023
Here’s an image from the Thank You! music video shot by the Friends of University Hospitals to thank all staff for their dedication and hard work over the past three years. Photo supplied.
EDMONTON — How do you say “Thank You!” to 10,000 people for their tireless work during a once-in-a-century pandemic?
If you’re the Friends of University Hospitals, you create a song and a video for your colleagues — the physicians and staff at University of Alberta Hospital (UAH) — to voice your gratitude for their dedication over the past three years.
“We hope that every single one of our hospital staff takes a moment to let the message of the music and images sink in,’ says Tyler Sherard, executive director of Friends.
“Our healthcare workers are still coming back to work, day after day, to care for our community. We want them to know that, as our song says, even though we’re no longer banging pots and pans, we’ve never stopped being incredibly grateful for all they’ve done and continue to do.”
Filmed at the UAH, the video stars staff from all walks of the hospital community — from building maintenance and medicine, to laundry services and nursing care.
“We wanted to honour the hard work of each of these teams of dedicated people,” says songwriter and musician Bev Ross, who’s also a member of the Friends’ staff.
The music video was originally intended as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Friends’ Artists on the Wards program, but COVID-19 arrived and changed the plan.
“We think now is the perfect time to turn what was going to be our celebration into a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our amazing colleagues," adds Sherard.
"We encourage everyone at AHS to share the video with their colleagues. Wouldn’t it be great to say ‘thank you’ to healthcare workers everywhere across the province?"
The Friends of University Hospitals’ Arts in Healthcare programming includes the Artists on the Wards program, the University of Alberta Hospitals Art Collection and the McMullen Gallery. The Arts in Healthcare program supports the healing process for patients and enriches the hospital experience of families, friends, volunteers and staff. We’re supported by fundraising through the Friends of University Hospitals Gift Shop and by the efforts of hundreds of volunteers. Learn more.
