Saint Joseph goes blue to honor health care workers

Published 10:41 am Friday, May 15, 2020

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Saint Joseph Jessamine is bathed in blue light this week in honor of its doctors, nurses and other health care workers.

Blue is the color that represents caring for medical professionals, so CHI Saint Joseph is lighting all of its hospitals in blue, including the Saint Joseph Jessamine-RJ Corman Ambulatory Care Center on Keene Road near the U.S. 27 Bypass, where the lights can been seen from thousands of passing cars.

“It really is a beautiful look for the facility with all the blue lights shining,” said Dan Andrews, director of operations.

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The promotion started May 6, during National Nurses Week, and continues through Sunday for Health Care Week.

The Light It Up Blue for Health Care Workers campaign is to showcase Catholic Health Initiatives’ appreciation for its health care heroes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a way for us to have some visual representation of thanks to our staff, and for those driving by, it draws their attention to the facility,” Andrews said.

“We’re blessed” by the 60 or so CHI employees and the others who work within the walls of the emergency, outpatient and diagnostic center, and the company wants to show it, he said.

Andrews, who is a nurse and has a master’s in business administration, said that during the pandemic, there has been a strong camaraderie among health workers, but that support and closeness is also felt from the community as a whole.

“People talk all the time about health care workers being on the front lines, and although that’s a job we take on when we enter this profession, it’s really bringing it to light,” Andrews said.

“We know that most of our team is intertwined in the community, and the community support that they’ve shown our health care providers has been amazing,” he said. “In my nearly 40 years of doing this, it’s unprecedented the support and care that we’ve received from the folks in our community.”

“Most, if not all hospitals in the country have had someone come through their doors with the coronavirus,” Andrews said, but Saint Joseph Jessamine has been fortunate in that none of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19 or been ill from it.

About Randy Patrick

Randy Patrick is a reporter for Bluegrass Newsmedia, which includes The Jessamine Journal. He may be reached at 859-759-0015 or by email at randy.patrick@bluegrassnewsmedia.com.

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