Bakersfield doctor gives special gift of appreciation to every nurse at Adventist Health
by: Marco Torrez – Posted: Nov 9, 2021
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Adventist Health and KGET want to honor those who make Kern County a better place to live.
In this season of gratitude, a local Bakersfield doctor gave a special gift of appreciation to every nurse at Adventist Health for their ongoing dedication throughout the pandemic.
Nurses across the country have been giving their time to help people in need. Now in Bakersfield, nurses have been awarded $20 Starbucks gift cards for their time and it all ends with gratitude to over 900 nurses at Adventist Health.
900 nurses are employed at Adventist Health. Each one of them works 12-hour shifts to care for the sick and injured who come through the doors. One doctor saw the relentless dedication the nurses demonstrated throughout the pandemic.
“Knowing that it’s an underappreciated job and they are expected to care for all these sick patients with little reward,” Brandon Hawkins a doctor of podiatric medicine said. “We thought we would do this as a small gesture as a thanks to them.”
The idea of coffee for Hawkins, was a no brainer.
“They have long hours and a hard job and coffee seems to be the thing that keeps them going,” Hawkins said.
In total, the donation added up to about $10,000 but Hawkins was right on the money. Coffee is exactly what some nurses said would be a perfect gift.
“Having a break, working 12 hours straight with everything that’s going on, taking the time off and drinking coffee,” Michael Aldgre a charge nurse at Adventist Health said. “That’s a lot of help for each one of us.”
But it goes even further than just coffee. It’s the camaraderie and appreciation of the teamwork and each other that keeps these nurses pushing forward.
“We are really, really thankful for our staff that continues to show up every day and takes care of our really sick patients,” Aldgre said.
Some of the nurses told 17News they’re really excited to enjoy some of their favorite lattes and other favorite drinks at Starbucks. One of them being the Pumpkin Spice Latte.
