Teresa Roumonada and Lexi Jensen wanted to find a way to thank their fellow St. Luke’s team members for their work to keep their communities safe.

Both nurse educators, they had seen the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on everyone from bedside nurses and doctors to the teams in charge of cleaning rooms.

“We kept thinking about ‘how we do help support people and let them know that right now, it sucks, but their resiliency is what has held it together, and it will get better,’” Jensen said.

Added Roumonada: “We just thought about how thankful we are for all of our staff, that we had to do something special.”

During the most recent COVID-19 wave, Roumonada returned to bedside work, helping overworked nurses. She said one of the things that moves and motivates her most is music, and had the idea to put together a music video featuring St. Luke’s people to show their support for one another.

It was a perfect fit, since Jensen has a side business as a videographer.

After a fruitless effort to secure rights from a Top 40 pop song, they found a song by New York singer/songwriter Emily Cavanagh called “Seeing Me Home.” Cavanagh had sent songs to patients and families affected by COVID-19 and was willing to let the song be used for free. Jensen helped contribute ideas for lyrics, and in early December, “Seeing Me Home (A Song For Idaho)” was recorded.

Wanting to get a video ready by Christmas, Roumonada and Jensen got to work.

“We just started emailing every leader, every team we could think of, to help out – the response was phenomenal,” Roumonada said.

The pair received dozens of photos to accompany the video, while some teams came together virtually to sing along with parts of the song.

All told, more than 100 St. Luke’s team members contributed to the making of the video, which Jensen put together during her free time. Most made signs that said “Thank you” or offered words of encouragement.

“It was a labor of love,” Jensen said. “In two days, it went from this little passion project of ours to something people across the system were helping out with.”

Roumonada and Jensen hope the video provides a chance to reflect, give thanks and offer support and hope, along with a little rejuvenation.

“I think it struck a chord with a lot of people,” Roumonada said. “I noticed the physical and emotional toll the pandemic had taken on them.

“What blew me away was how they found the strength to push it away when they walked into a patient room and provided such amazing, compassionate care.”