Protect the Heroes Launches Direct Support to Local Hospitals, Health Systems and Frontline Healthcare Workers Across Nation in Fight Against COVID-19

Protect the Heroes Launches Direct Support to Local Hospitals, Health Systems and Frontline Healthcare Workers Across Nation in Fight Against COVID-19

“This Time it’s Personal!”

The Creative Coalition, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, and the American Hospital Association have united to launch the “Protect the Heroes” campaign, which allows the general public to make direct impact donations to America’s hospital and health systems. Every dollar raised from Protect the Heroes goes directly to the donor’s choice of local hospital to purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and other support for their local healthcare workers to fight the ravages of COVID-19.

Protect the Heroes is a national initiative to raise desperately needed money for critical hospital resources, including hundreds of millions of masks and other materials for the physicians, nurses, and caregivers who are treating coronavirus patients and at greater risk due to a nationwide shortage of PPE.

Individuals can visit www.ProtectTheHeroes.org and, with a single click, be connected to the website of a local hospital of their choosing and contribute to hospital emergency relief funds. Hospitals face severe shortages of all forms of PPE and have multiple financial needs related to COVID-19. Each hospital will determine where funds should be applied to make an important difference during this unprecedented time.

As part of the campaign, The Creative Coalition is mobilizing its vast membership across the entertainment industry and arts arena to activate citizens across the country to participate in #ProtectTheHeroes.

”We created Protect the Heroes so that, if you just have $1 to spare, you can make a difference at this critical time for the hospital that serves you and your family. Donations are going directly to give the hospital workers in your community the support that they desperately need,” said The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk. “The Creative Coalition is honored to launch #ProtectTheHeroes with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and the American Hospital Association to help our frontline hospital workers win the fight against coronavirus.”

"Protecting those on the frontlines is a national imperative," said actor and The Creative Coalition President Tim Daly. "The Creative Coalition is proud to lock arms with our partners to help raise critical funds necessary to support local hospitals and healthcare workers. We call on our friends across the arts and entertainment industry and across sectors to join us in this urgent campaign to #ProtectTheHeroes."

“Our healthcare teams are at the center of the fight against coronavirus,” said Alice Ayres, President and CEO of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP). “In launching this campaign, we hope to mobilize all Americans to make sure hospitals, long-term care facilities and hospices and all the people providing care at them have the resources they need to win the fight and stay safe themselves.”

“In recent weeks we have seen an outpouring of support from Americans eager to help our nation’s health care heroes on the front lines of COVID-19,” said Rick Pollack, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association. “This initiative is about making a difference directly in communities and providing immediate support for our brave women and men on the front lines of this pandemic.”

Contact for The Creative Coalition:
Seth Adam
e. seth@theleadpr.com
c. (661) 803-4465

Contact for the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy:
Ifdy Perez
e. ifdy@ahp.org
p. (202) 591-7565

Contact for the American Hospital Association:
Marie Johnson
e. mjohnson@aha.org
p. (202) 626-2351

About The Creative Coalition
The Creative Coalition (www.TheCreativeCoalition.org) is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) social and public advocacy organization of the arts and entertainment community.  Founded in 1989 by prominent members of the creative community, The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating, mobilizing, and activating its members on issues of public importance.  Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. The Creative Coalition also creates award-winning public service campaigns including #RightToBearArts to promote the efficacy of the arts. The Creative Coalition harnesses the unique platforms of the arts community and entertainment industry to make positive impacts on social welfare issues.

About the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) is an international professional organization dedicated exclusively to development professionals who encourage charity in North America's healthcare organizations. Established in 1967, AHP is the source for education, networking, information and research in healthcare philanthropy. AHP is a not-for-profit organization with its headquarters located just outside Washington, D.C. in Arlington, Virginia. AHP's 4,500 members represent more than 2,200 healthcare facilities around the world. They embody all aspects of healthcare fundraising, from executive directors and chief development officers, to major gift officers, annual campaign managers, event coordinators and grant writers.  For more information, visit the AHP website at www.ahp.org.

About the American Hospital Association
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.

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