Update: Aug. 24, 2:57 p.m.
The city of Sugar Land announced Aug. 24 that Healthcare Heroes Week, initially planned for Aug. 24-28, has been postponed to September due to the uncertainty posed by Tropical Storm Laura.
In a separate video message released Aug. 24, Sugar Land Mayor Joe Zimmerman asked residents to stay mindful of Tropical Storm Laura, which is forecast to make landfall anywhere from the Louisiana coast to southeast Texas on Aug. 26 or Aug. 27 as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane. He said projections show the Sugar Land area receiving 2-4 inches of rain, with isolated areas getting as much as 6 inches.
To honor local health care workers, the city had planned a series of drive-by hospital parades Aug. 25-27 and organized other ways for the community to show their support of front-line workers.
A news release from the city said rescheduled dates for Healthcare Heroes Week will be announced in the near future.
Posted: Aug. 22, 9:15 a.m.
To honor health care workers in the community, Sugar Land residents are invited to deck the city blue by replacing their porch lights with blue bulbs, tying blue ribbons around trees in their yard, and taping blue hearts to their front door or windows.
The acts of support are part of Healthcare Heroes Week, which will be celebrated from Aug. 24-28 in Sugar Land.
"The sacrifices being made by our medical professionals, first-responders and their families on the front lines of COVID[-19] doesn't go unnoticed in Sugar Land," City Manager Mike Goodrum said in a news release. "We are incredibly appreciative of their dedication and tireless efforts to keep us all safe, and we recognize that they have willingly placed themselves in harm's way to serve our community during this time of need.”
Additionally, residents are invited to decorate their cars and join firefighters, paramedics, police officers and city employees in parades at three of the city’s major hospitals. During each parade, the city will donate gift cards and snacks for medical professionals.
The donated gift cards stem from Sugar Land’s Sweet Cash program. Under this program, when customers purchase a gift card of at least $40 from a local Sugar Land business, they can submit proof of the purchase online and receive a second gift card worth 50% of the initial purchase and donate the other half to a front-line worker.
According to a city press release, more than 450 gift cards have already been distributed to health care workers as part of the Sweet Cash Program with another 600 projected to be donated by the end of Healthcare Heroes Week.
Parades are planned for:
- Aug. 25 at 7 p.m. at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, 16655 Hwy. 59, Sugar Land;
- Aug. 26 at 7 p.m. at CHI St. Luke’s Health - Sugar Land Hospital, 1317 Lake Pointe Parkway, Sugar Land; and
- Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, 17500 W. Grand Parkway S., Sugar Land.
