Show your support by wearing red on Fridays

Paul Aylward, M.D., sporting red with his wife, Carrie, and son, Maxen. Dr. Aylward heads the Wellness in Training committee for the UNMC House Officers Association, which is leading the #WearRedBeProudNE initiative.

The idea started as a quick thought during a weekday run. But the plan is to rally a community of Nebraskans to show their support for health care workers across the state on a weekly basis.

The Nebraska Medicine Company Store will offer new “Nebraska Medicine Strong” red T-shirts beginning next week. They can be pre-ordered on The Company Store’s website.
Paul Aylward, M.D., leads the Wellness in Training committee for the UNMC House Officers Association. The organization of UNMC residents is encouraging everyone in the state — residents, physicians, alumni, staff, faculty, patients and the community in general — to wear red every Friday for the foreseeable future.

“I was thinking about ways to show support for my fellow house officers and all the others that are working so hard,” Dr. Aylward said. “I wanted something that was unique to Nebraska.”

All medical center colleagues are encouraged to take part (even if you’re working from home). Here’s how:

• Wear red every Friday. Clinical staff who follow the color-coded dress code can participate but should wear their assigned scrub bottoms as usual.
• Share a photo on your social media showing your support for health care workers, using the hashtag: #WearRedBeProudNE. You can also post to the Nebraska Medicine Facebook page.
• Encourage your friends and family to do the same.

“We are all navigating this pandemic together,” Dr. Aylward said. “For house officers, we are not only caring for patients but also wondering what this will mean for the end of our residencies, applying for boards and beginning fellowships later this year. It’s so important that we all show support for each other during an uncertain time and wearing red on Fridays is a great place to start.”