“Night Owls” staff delivered care packages to healthcare workers in thanks for their extra hour of service at the end of Daylight Saving Time
When we turned back our clocks this weekend, most people got an extra hour of sleep — except for dedicated healthcare workers on the night shift. Healthcare professionals across Utah worked an extra hour this weekend due to the end of daylight saving time, and Western Governors University (WGU) staff is delivering care packages to show its gratitude to these frontline workers.
Staff from the online, nonprofit university loaded up and delivered care packages for those workers to open and enjoy during their extra-long shifts this Saturday night; these included sleeping masks, pens, lip balm, cocoa, coffee, and other treats.
Care packages were delivered to the following hospitals:
- George E Wahlen Veterans Affairs Medical Center
- Steward Salt Lake Regional Medical Center
- KPC Promise Hospital in Murray
- Steward Mountain Medical Center in Lehi
Overall, the nonprofit, online university delivered packages to 3,160 hospital staff in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Idaho and Utah.
WGU Regional Director Ismar Vallecillossaid the acknowledgement for our healthcare workers is both an honor and a call to action.
“They helped our communities get through the worst of the pandemic and continue to step up every day—no matter what holiday and beyond to take care of so many,” Vallecillos said. “They are our real-life superheroes, and we stand in continued appreciation for all they do.”
Melissa Jensen, strategic partnership manager for Utah who spearheaded this effort, said it is deeply gratifying to be able to acknowledge these vital healthcare workers.
“They do so much every single day in our communities to help take care of so many,” Jensen said. “It’s important for us to acknowledge that on this night, they do it even longer. This is our small way to send a gigantic thank you!”
WGU invites the entire community to acknowledge all night shift workers, who continue to show up for their communities every day.
WGU nursing graduates make up 2% of all the registered nurses with an active license in the nation. In 2021, WGU, one of the state’s leading education providers for nurses and other healthcare professionals, produced a whopping 17% of the nation’s registered nurses earning a Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Many students in WGU’s nursing degree programs are also night shift workers, and the university created a special Night Shift Worker Scholarship for all night shift workers, not just nurses, who may be considering completing or advancing their college education around their busy schedules.
