Monday Mixtape (5/18/20)
In This Week’s Issue: Healthcare Heroes, COVID Tech Connect, Quarantine Band Names, and Community Healing Gardens.
Hey everybody,
Greetings from Santa Monica! I’m excited to share the latest Vitamin Z newsletter.
But first: A personal story about why I created this platform.
Healthcare Heroes and Second Responders
When this all started, I felt guilty.
I was supposed to be a doctor. Follow in the footsteps of my late father, Raphael, a cardiologist. And my late grandfather, Julius, an internal medicine physician—the kind of old-school doctor who made house calls with a black medical bag.
I was pre-med at Harvard. But I didn’t go to medical school. I went into business and finance. Got a law degree. Did a few startups. Carved out a niche working with doctors, scientists and engineers pushing the frontiers of tech and healthcare.
So why did I feel those pangs of guilt when the pandemic hit? Because I’m not a “healthcare hero.” I’m not a doctor, nurse or EMT. I’m not on the frontlines taking care of our friends and loved ones.
I read Joanna Goddard’s reflection on being a stay-at-home mom. Her husband teased her that she was one of the “second responders.” You know, the ones who make “terrible, lumpy masks for friends and family.”
These “second responders” are heroes, too. The moms, the dads. The teachers and home-schoolers. The farmers, chefs and grocers who keep us well-fed.
That’s why I created Vitamin Z. It started as a WhatsApp group for LA friends sharing local resources related to the pandemic. It’s grown into an international community of the smartest, most inspiring people I know from all over the world.
The pandemic is a call to action for us all. Every day I ask myself, how can I step up and be helpful?
Everyone does their part. That’s what it means to be part of a community. A tribe.
Coolest Things I Learned This Week
What’s the Future of US Healthcare?
I interviewed six doctors about how their medical practices have been affected by the coronavirus. I spoke to other friends about their experiences getting healthcare — or making the decision to stay home and postpone medical treatment.
One friend shared this story:
“A family member with cancer was supposed to have surgery. It’s been put on pause for the next couple of months because the risk of infection is too great. Cancer vs. corona?”
US hospitals are in critical condition because of the pandemic. This has raised some serious issues:
What will be the long-term consequences for public health?
How will people re-engage with the medical system?
And how should you weigh the risk of virus exposure vs. getting the care you need?
I summarized what I learned in my new article: “What Happens When People are Afraid to See the Doctor?”
You can read the full article here.
Mental Health Tip of the Week
Close the non-essential businesses in your brain, too. The ones that drain your emotions and energy; the ones that don't really matter.
COVID Tech Connect
My friend Sara Rodell created COVID Tech Connect, a non-profit that donates tablets to hospitals so dying patients can say goodbye to loved ones amid coronavirus-related visiting restrictions.
I met Sara in 2018 on a trip through Israel with 50 tech leaders dedicated to social impact. COVID Tech Connect originated as an idea in our group chat when the pandemic hit. Other participants helped connect Sara with tech leaders to donate equipment, and Sara recruited a professional network of women with experience in communication, technology, logistics and grassroots organization. Just a few days later, COVID Tech Connect had become a movement that can help sick people say goodbye to loved ones.
Sara created The Dignity Project: Gathering devices from tech leaders and getting them into the hands of doctors and nurses. They’ve already raised over $200k toward a $1 million goal to purchase 10,000 tablets to deliver to the hospitals and nursing homes most in need. You can learn more and donate here.
Comedy
Quarantine Band Names
I’m a big fan of The Social Distancing Social Club with Ben Gleib, Steve Hofstetter and Chris Bowers. They host live-streamed comedy shows at 3pm Pacific / 6pm Eastern every day except Mondays and Thursdays. You can watch on YouTube Live, Facebook Live or Twitch.
Each show features a “hashtag contest.” They give a prompt (e.g. “Coronavirus Movie Titles”), the audience submits responses and the hosts read the funniest ones.
From a recent show, here are the “Top 10 Quarantine Band Names”:
Men NOT at Work
Linkin Park’s Closed
Panic at the Costco
U2 (“You TOO!”) Stay Six Fucking Feet Away
Runs in Noses
Florence and the Vaccine
UB40 Steps From the Person Behind You In Line
Red Hot Chili Peppers Delivered by Instacart
Fleetwood Mac and Cheese is All I Have Left To Eat
Ben Folds Face Masks From Old T-shirts
Photo of the Week:
With my old college roommate, Enko Kiprilov. He came to the US from Bulgaria as a teenager. He got accepted to Harvard just a few years later and did an MD/PhD at Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Today he oversees clinical trials for new cancer drugs.
This past weekend we got a tour of Community Healing Gardens in Venice, California. The non-profit grows fresh fruits and vegetables and provides them free to underserved neighborhoods in Venice and Watts. They’ve developed a school program in Watts called Healing Tech Garden and orchard to help students develop a passion for healthy living and sustainability, while also providing access to fresh, nutrient-dense produce for the community.
During the COVID pandemic they’ve given out over 2,000 pounds of fresh food. A great reminder of the many ways people are giving back and staying connected.
Until next week,
Daniel Zahler
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