Dear friends, As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, it has been inspiring to watch how medical students have mobilized. Our peers at WashU and friends elsewhere are working hard every day—assisting overextended colleagues and vulnerable neighbors, gathering PPE and summarizing the science of COVID, and, of course, social distancing. We want to draw your attention to another opportunity that enables us to do a huge amount of good: donating our stimulus checks. As medical students, many of us qualify to receive $1200 from the coronavirus stimulus bill. This is money that none of us planned on receiving or budgeted for. For those able to do so, the most impactful thing we can do collectively is to immediately redirect that $1200, in whole or in part, to those who need it most. Here’s why: for many of us, our financial situations remain unchanged from before this crisis, and we are preparing to join a profession with good pay and excellent job security. While many of us are not in a position to directly provide patient care, one thing we can do is contribute our payments to a large, collective donation—a donation that, with sufficient buy-in, could yield far more significant impact than any individual volunteering we might undertake. We fully acknowledge our differing personal and familial financial circumstances. Many of us already know those who are unemployed, seriously ill with COVID, or both. Donating even part of this large sum might thus seem unthinkable. This is more than okay; it is the natural result of our diverse set of backgrounds and experiences. We fully support those whose circumstances prevent them from donating. But for those able to do so, there are strong considerations in favor of helping the most vulnerable people in our local, national, and international communities, whose lives will be radically upended by this virus and our collective responses to it. Banding together to recommit our all or some of our stimulus checks to vulnerable communities powerfully symbolizes our support of them. Where the money will go: GiveDirectly’s COVID-19 response, one of our choices for charitable recipient, identifies the most vulnerable SNAP recipients, mostly single mothers, and targets them for additional assistance. We respect GiveDirectly’s data-driven, compassionate approach to giving, and their commitment to the principle that these women know what’s best for themselves and their families, and that this money does far more good in their hands than in ours. But we also understand that bright, well-meaning people have diverse opinions about where their money can do the most good. If some other organization’s work better fits your values, donate there. o   To support vulnerable SNAP recipients, mostly single mothers and their families, donate to GiveDirectly here. o   To support expanded testing and to provide dignified care in developing countries, donate to Partners in Health’s Emergency Coronavirus Response here. o   To support our cause through donations to your local community, give locally and then, to have your contribution added to our tally, send us a screenshot of your donation receipt, along with the name of the local organization and the amount donated. We invite anyone to join our efforts. Pooling resources from other students and the public will only enhance our impact. Please, share this widely; we need all the help we can get. Yours, Healthcare Providers for COVID Relief

Healthcare Providers for COVID Relief-GiveDirectly

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