Many individuals, groups and businesses from the community have generously offered to help assist in our preparedness efforts to fight COVID-19. Below are a few ways you can help make a difference.
Protect yourself and others
The most important thing you can do to help health care workers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and across the city and state is to help us slow the spread of COVID-19 in our region.
- Stay informed and follow the directions of public health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Learn about and get your COVID-19 vaccination.
Donate blood
The American Red Cross now faces a severe blood shortage due to an unprecedented number of blood drive cancellations during this coronavirus outbreak. Please help us do our job by making an appointment to give at https://www.redcrossblood.org/.
Donate money
Our COVID-19 Fund provides the flexibility to meet greatest needs in patient care and research to fight the pandemic. Donate now.
Our COVID-19 Caregiver Support Fund provides doctors, nurses and staff on the front lines with child care, housing and equipment. Donate now.
Mail letters of encouragement to health care workers
If you would like to mail letter of encouragement to our health care workers, you can send your letters to:
Volunteer Services
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
1005 Oxford House
Nashville, TN 37232-4785
Donate food
If you would like to donate food for our staff, we encourage you to use a local business so you can help our Nashville neighbors at the same time.
Guidelines
- Food must be commercially prepared and individually packaged for individual distribution. No buffet style meals can be accepted.
- We can accept any size donation, but 25 meals will generally provide for at least one unit.
- Donations of meals will be scheduled to accommodate both day and night shifts.
- Volunteer Services will track and manage accordingly, ensuring donations are shared across departments.
Procedures
To schedule donated meals, donors may contact Volunteer Services staff through email at volunteer.services@vumc.org. Cynthia Warner, lead administrative assistant for Volunteer Services, will review email inquiries and contact the potential donor to discuss scheduling and other details.
If a VUMC employee receives a request or offer for donated meals or snacks, please direct the donor to contact Volunteer Services through volunteer.services@vumc.org.
More details about our food donation guidelines.
Donate hand-sewn face masks (paused)
We are so grateful for all of the cloth mask donations that we have received. Every day we see the generosity of this community manifested on the faces of staff, patients, and visitors who are wearing masks sewn by volunteers.
Since we have an adequate supply at present, we are no longer accepting cloth mask donations.
As a reminder, all patients and visitors to Vanderbilt Health hospitals and clinics must wear masks.