While healthcare workers are generally always operating in high gear to save lives, the pressure and intensity of their jobs have increased dramatically with the coronavirus pandemic.
In a sign of appreciation of their superhero efforts, sportswear company Nike is donating 30,000 pairs of shoes — specifically designed for medical staff — to health systems and hospitals in cities across the United States.
The Air Zoom Pulse, which was released in November 2019, is the company’s “first shoe designed for the healthcare athlete, an everyday hero,” Nike said in a recent announcement. And in designing it, the company took into account the challenges of those on the job — including long hours on their feet and liquid spills — and the comfort needed for long shifts.
Nike partnered with Good360, a non-profit specializing in an efficient distribution of product donations, to help deliver the shoes to workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City, and within the Veterans Health Administration, according to Nike.
The company’s donation comes as healthcare workers continue to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, often putting themselves at risk. To help protect those in precarious conditions, Nike said some of its teams came together to help create and donate full-face shields and powered, air-purifying respirator lenses.
To date, Nike and the Nike Foundation have committed more than $25 million to Covid-19 relief efforts, according to the company.
