#FitForTheFrontLine Challenge Unites Nation’s Top Medical Centers in Support of Frontline Health Care Workers

Fitness challenge honors and supports health care heroes at Yale New Haven Health and Yale Medicine

New Haven, CT (May 27, 2020) – As much of the country continues to self-isolate due to the coronavirus pandemic, medical centers across the United States are joining forces to start a countrywide movement of physical activity to honor and support frontline health care workers who have worked tirelessly to save lives. #FitForTheFrontLine is a national fitness challenge beginning Tuesday, May 26, and culminating on Sunday, June 14 (Flag Day).

The event encourages people young and old to move, exercise, and get fit to increase awareness and raise funds to support our nation’s health care heroes. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses, physicians and all frontline staff at each of Yale New Haven Health System’s (YNHHS) five hospitals and Yale Medicine have met the historic challenge in the war against the virus. Now, the #FitForTheFrontLine Challenge empowers anyone to support them during this still-challenging time. The call to action is simple: choose any activity; dedicate your activity to Yale New Haven Health and Yale Medicine; post the donation link; and ask your friends, family and social network to make a donation to show their support.

Proceeds from the #FitfortheFrontLine Challenge will support a special fund at YNHHS, which will provide vital resources to help confront the psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on frontline healthcare providers and support staff. The Covid-19 Fit for the Frontline Fund will support ongoing mental health and wellness assessments, therapeutic workshops, support groups and individual interventions for physicians and medical and support staff involved in all aspects of patient care during the pandemic at YNHHS hospitals.

“We are delighted to be participating in this nationwide movement in honor of our frontline health care heroes. Their steadfast commitment to our patients and their families, our communities, and each other has never wavered during this extremely stressful time,” said Marna P. Borgstrom, chief executive officer, Yale New Haven Health.

“We are proud and grateful for the selfless dedication and bravery exemplified by our frontline team members and hope that our community will join us in that sentiment by participating in the Fit for the Frontline Challenge.”

#FitForTheFrontLine partner organizations include Yale New Haven Health and Yale Medicine, Mount Sinai Health System, Baylor College of Medicine, Brown Medicine, Cedars-Sinai, University of Chicago Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Mass General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Montefiore Medical Center, University of Michigan Medicine, NewYork-Presbyterian, Northwell Health, NYU Langone Health, Penn Medicine, RWJBarnabas Health, Temple Health, University of Washington Medicine and Weill Cornell Medicine.

For more information or to participate in the #FitForTheFrontLine Challenge, visit www.flowpage.com/yalenewhavenhealth, www.givetoynhh.org/frontline.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org