St. Joseph Health Gives the Gift of Humankindness
To Front-Line and Essential Workers
Face masks inspired by local students’ designs were distributed to
first responders and hospital caregivers throughout Bryan/College Station
St. Joseph Health teamed up with local students to design special face masks for essential and front-line workers in Bryan/College Station. The masks were donated as a gesture of gratitude for their continued resilience amid the COVID-19 pandemic and to help spread the message of humankindness in the community.
The masks are an extension of St. Joseph Health’s new Hello humankindness movement that is grounded in the belief that while medicine has the ability to cure, shared humanity and human connection has the power to heal – body, mind and spirit. This philosophy is a continuation of St. Joseph Health’s longstanding practice to care for each patient with kindness, empathy and respect, in addition to providing world-class medical excellence to the community.
“Humankindness has the power to change the world we live in and we’ve been inspired by the efforts of the front-line and essential workers in our community this past year.” said Theron Park, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health. “We’re thrilled to offer them this gift that serves as a reminder of just how powerful one gesture of kindness can be.”
More than 400 students from elementary and intermediate schools in Bryan and College Station ISDs participated in a classroom assignment where they were asked to draw what humankindness means to them. The health system then selected two drawings that would inspire the designs for the unique masks, including:
- A drawing by 11-year-old Whitney from Pebble Creek Elementary School in the College Station Independent School District that featured a simple reminder to “be the act of kindness”
- A drawing by 10-year-old Zooey from Jane Long Intermediate School in the Bryan Independent School District that featured two powerful words: “kindness counts”
Several thousand masks featuring one of two designs will be distributed to police officers, firefighters, hospital caregivers and volunteers in the community to thank them for their continued dedication to serving their communities throughout the pandemic.
Learn more about St. Joseph Health’s healing mission at about-stjoseph.stlukeshealth.org/humankindness.
About St. Joseph Health Since 1936 St. Joseph Health has been caring for the communities of Bryan, College Station, Brenham, Hearne, Navasota, Caldwell and Madisonville. With the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, the first Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center and the first accredited Chest Pain Center in the Brazos Valley, St. Joseph Health is a leader in critical care and the largest provider of cardiovascular care in the region.
About CommonSpirit Health CommonSpirit Health is a nonprofit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. It was created in February 2019 through the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. With a team of approximately 125,000 employees and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, CommonSpirit Health operates 137 hospitals and more than 1000 care sites across 21 states. In FY 2020, Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health had combined revenues of nearly $29.6 billion and provided $4.6 billion in charity care, community benefit, and unreimbursed government programs.