Thousands of healthcare workers will be sporting some new kicks that were specially designed for doctors and nurses.
Nike announced on Monday that the company would be donating 30,000 pairs of the Nike Air Zoom Pulse sneaker to healthcare workers in the United States. The shoes were designed in 2019 to provide nurses with a shoe that is comfortable, durable, and easy to take off to clean.
The company noted that nurses walk an average of four to five miles during a 12-hour shift and sit for just one hour, total, during that shift. Nike selected hospitals in Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis, and New York City, as well as Veterans Affairs hospitals to donate the sneakers. Another 2,500 pairs are being distributed to healthcare workers around the world, including hospitals in Barcelona, Berlin, London, Milan, Paris, and Belgium.
The nonprofit organization Good360, a longtime partner with Nike, is carrying out the donation. Beyond the shoes, healthcare workers in New York and Los Angeles will receive 95,000 pairs of soccer socks offering mild compression, which can provide some relief during long shifts.
The free shoes follow a pledge from Nike and the Nike Foundation to donate $25 million toward coronavirus-related causes.
WNBA player Sabrina Ionescu, who is a Nike athlete, lauded the effort to give back to healthcare workers, telling Good Morning America, “When I think about our healthcare athletes, I think about how they’re all fighting for something bigger than themselves right now. That kind of strength and courage speaks volumes, and inspires us all.”
Several private companies have stepped up to help the country through the coronavirus pandemic, including several companies that have shifted their operations to create personal protective equipment and ventilators to replenish the nation’s stockpile.
