Hello Humankindness Promoting Good Works Nationally, and in Tehama County

Hello Humankindness

Promoting Good Works Nationally, and in Tehama County

By Eileen Majors

Dignity Health, one of the country’s top five largest hospital networks, is engaged in a major national effort to engage and inspire people to promote acts of human kindness within the healthcare industry and beyond. “What’s missing in the public discourse about healthcare is the fact that while medicine has the power to cure, it’s humanity that holds the power to heal,” said Lloyd H. Dean, President/CEO of Dignity Health. The platform of the Hello Humankindness campaign is to start a national conversation and inspire grassroots movements.

Locally in Tehama county, St. Elizabeth Hospital, a Dignity Health provider, is promoting human kindness on a local level. As local Marketing Manager Amy Gonczeruk pointed out, they are hoping to spread the good news about local acts of human kindness. Research has shown that kindness has a tendency to multiply when people see it in the act or hear about it.

As part of Dignity’s national campaign, Amy is eager to participate, showing off the goodness in the hospital’s local community of Tehama County and beyond.

Hearing about the effort led me to tell her of my own story about an experience I had a few years back while riding through Tehama County. It was not too long after my husband had died unexpectedly. I was on a road trip all by myself to see friends in the Bay Area. First stop was Red Bluff, where I would gas up and get some snacks and water for the rest of my trip. At that time, it was not unusual to have a bit of a panic attack now and then, and I could feel one was about to erupt. I had noticed about 20 miles back just how low on gas I actually was and so I turned the air conditioning off, in the fear I might run out of fuel. It was hot and I didn’t even have a bottle of water with me. How had I let myself get into such a mess? I pulled off at the first gas station, and headed to the back seat for my purse. No purse. In a panic, I threw open the trunk and again, no purse. I dug around furiously but found only a crumpled up business check. So, with as much composure as I could muster up, I headed into the store to plead my case for them to take my business check for some gas and water. I was not sure what the answer was as he sort of motioned to his wife. She returned with a handful of checks, all fanned out, as he explained to me everything he knew about bad checks. Thirsty and upset, I turned back toward home, but with no gas to make it, I stopped at a local restaurant where I once knew someone who worked there. “Is Holly here?” I asked. “She doesn’t work here anymore,” he replied. My heart dropped; I nervously began to tell my story of why the check was crumpled and how many years I had my business. He stopped me, waving his hand. I was sick. Then I heard him say, “Will fifty dollars do?” I am sure that young man never knew just how much that meant to me, but it was immediately healing to have my problem removed in an instant by a total stranger.