Minnesota med students help hospital workers fighting coronavirus with child care, errands

They'll walk dogs, pick up groceries, or swing by the pharmacy — anything that health care professionals who are dealing with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic can't do themselves.

With their classes moved online and clinical rotations canceled, University of Minnesota Medical School students Sruthi Shankar and Sara Lederman had more free time, and started thinking about the hospital workers who don't have the same luxury. They wanted to do something to assist the doctors, nurses, and hospital janitors and kitchen staff who are working long hours fighting coronavirus, and launched a volunteer group called MN CovidSitters.

More than 280 University of Minnesota Medical School students have signed up for MN CovidSitters. They are paired with health care professionals, who let them know ways they can help their families, from babysitting to cooking dinner. The students assist health care workers who live close to them, and they practice social distancing. Lederman told CNN that "everyone's superpowers are coming out. We are realizing so many of our classmates have incredible skills and talents that we didn't know about until now."

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