Pink Glove Dance Is a YouTube™ Sensation, Boosting Hearts, Minds and Support for Breast Cancer Awareness
Have you seen the Pink Glove Dance video? Over 6 million people across the globe have. The YouTube video phenomenon has been featured on CNN, ABC World News with Charles Gibson, Fox & Friends - Fox News Network’s national morning show, and literally more than 100 local TV newscasts across the country. News stories on the video also span the internet, from the Huffington Post to the AOL home page.
People can’t stop talking about this video, which showcases more than 200 hospital workers from Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, OR., dancing in Medline’s pink gloves. Phone calls, cards and e-mails are flooding both the hospital and Medline. To date, over 7,000 people have posted comments about the video on YouTube. It has entertained and inspired laughter and, for many, it has evoked memories of their own battle with breast cancer or battles that loved ones have faced.
“Wonderful! This brought tears to my eyes as I am a survivor 13 years out and it reminded me of the wonderful staff at Yale Oncology unit. Thank you to all in the medical field. Please be sure to share this with those who are going through treatments. I am sure this will be helpful.”
– mamakawecki55
“WOW!!! this is just GREAT! it brings tears to my eyes to know that people are doing all this to help raise the awareness of breast cancer and trying to find a cure for it. Man, after watching this I’m going to do what I can to help too.” - mrartman18
“I viewed this video last night for the first time. I cried. I have a stage three breast cancer and just finished a year of chemo and radiation. Somehow these pink gloves link us and acknowledge our pain and yes, our hope.”
“I just love this video! For all who have survived, and for those who are now gone, we will never forget! This is a tribute from all those who are so dedicated and passionate to care for all of you! Hospitals all over the USA are jealous of SVMC in Oregon...you are an awesome team! Good wishes from SVMC is CT!!!! Great job!” – lindanrory
“October always kicks off breast cancer awareness and marks another year of survival since my diagnosis. I'm bookmarking this to my favorites and next year, and every year thereafter, going to start my anniversary morning watching this! What an awesome show of support by a clearly dedicated & compassionate hospital & staff! Thank you Medline & St. Vincents” – lifesoofar
The Story Behind the Making of the Video
Why would perfectly sane and incredibly busy hospital workers agree to dance in a YouTube video viewed around the world? The short answer is to get people talking about breast cancer. But there’s more to the story. It all began back at the Medline Corporate office.
As the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies, Medline is focused on helping to improve lives. So it’s a natural extension of our corporate mission for us to help save lives through the early detection of breast cancer. (visit www.medline.com/breast-cancer-awareness for details).
In the past five years, Medline has donated almost a half million dollars to provide education and free mammograms to those in need and continues to make contributions every year. Medline hosts several breast cancer awareness breakfast forums throughout the year to help spread the word about the importance of early detection.
As a way to extend Medline’s breast cancer awareness campaign, we developed a pink glove called Generation Pink™. Gloves are also the first point of contact between the healthcare worker and the patient. And, the fact the glove is pink, we hoped would get people talking about breast cancer. When the gloves were launched in October, Medline committed to donating $1 of every case purchased to the National Breast Cancer Foundation to fund mammograms for individuals who cannot afford them. But we needed another idea to help spread the word. So, we asked, “What if we were to film a video of healthcare workers dancing in pink gloves? I wonder if we could produce a viral video?” Little did we know. . .
The first step was finding a hospital that would partner with Medline to create the video. Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, OR., part of the Providence Health System, a 26-hospital system spread over the northwest area of the country and a close friend of Medline’s, was at the top of the list.
A few phone calls later, the hospital enthusiastically agreed to participate in the video. The next few days were a blur of action. The hospital sent out a call for employee volunteers to dance in the video. Back at Medline, the wheels were in motion. Jay Sean’s hit song “Down” was selected for the video and discussions took place to coordinate which areas of the hospital would be filmed, the number of staff participating in each shot and the overall plan of events.
The Making of the Video
A week later, Emily Somers, Medline’s product manager for gloves and who also just happens to have a dance background, was at the hospital with a few boxes of pink gloves and a film crew. More than 200 employees of all ages, departments and skill levels
answered the call to participate.
"We had so many people who said, 'You know, this disease has touched my life. I want to be a part of it,'" said Martie Moore, the chief nursing officer at Providence St. Vincent.
The filming took two days. Emily spent countless hours teaching the volunteers basic dance moves to showcase the pink gloves. In an environment filled with sickness and gloom, she brought incredible energy to the set, helping every one of the caregivers express their great heart and spirit. From lab technicians and the kitchen help to surgical teams, they all let loose, dancing from place to place in the hospital.