LAKEWOOD, Colo. — A couple is preparing their SUV to offer health care professionals free rides to work during a snowstorm expected to bring several inches to several feet of snow across Colorado.
On Wednesday, Meagan Burkett Tom posted on several Facebook pages offering free rides for doctors and nurses to get to work.
“My husband has a very capable rig so we are offering help to doctors and nurses in the Lakewood-Arvada areas if they have no other way to safely get to & from, if we can safely get to you.” Meagan wrote in the post.
She and her husband, Tanner Tom, love to help. They’ve felt helpless during the pandemic and thought it would be a great way to give back.
Tanner plans to drive health care professionals in his Toyota FJ Cruiser. His SUV is souped up with 35-inch tires and a system that helps tires gain traction. He said it can handle at least three feet of snow.
“I know its capabilities. I’m pretty confident, and I know what it can do up in the mountains and in the snow,” Tanner said.
The couple’s goal is to give rides to medical professionals in Lakewood, Edgewater, Wheat Ridge and Arvada.
“It’s important to go save lives and do what they need to at the hospital,” Tanner said.
“We are just really doing anything we can to thank them [doctors and nurses]. I mean, we love all of our health care professionals,” Meagan said.
SCL Health is closely tracking the storm. Wendy Colon, the emergency manager for Platte Valley Medical Center and director of the emergency department, said they have a plan in place to keep the power on and have medical staff on hand.
“For our doctors and nurses, we are having them plan ahead and actually come and stay at the hospital, so that we are not adding to the traffic that is on the road,” Colon said.
The plan is to have vital employees begin arriving Saturday afternoon and stay through Monday morning.
Meagan and her husband said they hope their actions inspire others to help in any way they can, even if it means helping a neighbor shovel snow.
If you would like to book a ride in advance you can call or text Meagan at (720) 419-8471.