It was the challenge that launched a thousand videos. Well … maybe more like 700. And 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of the first Medline Pink Glove Dance video, meant to raise awareness of breast cancer and fuel donations to the cause.
The first video coincided with the launch of Medline Industries’ Generation Pink glove line in 2009, and featured 200 employees of Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore., sporting their best moves. It went viral, garnering 13 million views on YouTube in two years. Medline two years later turned it into a contest that ran for six years, with nearly 700 videos created that garnered 17 million views and generated more than $1 million in donations to breast cancer-related charities.
To celebrate the anniversary, the medical supply company decided to create a special video showcasing workers from four health systems along with members of a nurses association. The video, which was produced over six months, debuted in early October at the American Nurses Credentialing Center National Magnet Conference in Orlando, Fla.
Memorial Healthcare System, based in Hollywood, Fla.; NorthShore University HealthSystem, headquartered in Evanston, Ill.; San Diego-based Sharp Healthcare; and Parkland Health and Hospital System, based in Dallas, are the four participating systems, with 1,500 dancers shaking their groove thing for the cause while wearing pink gloves. The video also features nurses from the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses. Each system also has a video featuring just its workers.
Medline is now adding another project featuring healthcare workers, with Works of Heart. Nominations are being sought for “inspirational” healthcare workers, with one to be honored each month starting in January.
