Comprehensive Guide To Freebies And Perks For Healthcare Workers

Nov. 25, 2025, 10:40 a.m.

Tags: medical social average workers

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted numerous companies and organizations to offer freebies, discounts, and special perks to healthcare workers as a token of appreciation for their service. This article compiles available offers across various categories including food, lodging, healthcare products, and professional development resources. Many of these offers are ongoing, while others were specifically implemented during the pandemic and may have expiration dates or limited availability.

Food and Beverage Offers for Healthcare Workers

Several food and beverage companies have provided free meals and discounts to healthcare workers during the pandemic:

Krispy Kreme: Offered free dozens of Original Glazed® Doughnuts beginning Monday, March 30 and on every subsequent Monday through National Nurses Week (May 6-12).
Starbucks: Provided a tall brewed or iced coffee to police officers, firefighters, paramedics, doctors, nurses, hospital staff and researchers until May 3.
UberEats: Announced it would provide free meals and rides to first responders and healthcare workers in the U.S. and Canada, in coordination with local and state and provincial governments. Interested officials and organizations could contact Uber at [email protected] to partner.

Hotel and Lodging Discounts

Several hotel chains and lodging providers have offered discounts and free stays to healthcare workers:

Radisson Hotels: Offers police, firefighters, doctors, nurses a 20% discount and an upgraded room at check-in, when available, in select hotels in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Le Bijou: Provided FREE stays for healthcare workers, allowing them to "Recover in one of our in-room SPAs and enjoy our beautiful apartments; maybe even have a glass of champagne. It's free of charge for you until the crisis is over."
Marriott Hotel: Through their "Rooms for Responders" program, provided free rooms in some of the areas most impacted including New York City, New Orleans, Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Newark, N.J.
hospitalityhelps: Connects healthcare and government agencies with lodging providers ready to provide temporary housing.

Healthcare Products and Personal Items

Various healthcare-related products have been offered free or at discount to healthcare workers:

DHAVNI: Offered FREE masks to healthcare workers.
Preppi: Donated N95 masks to healthcare workers in need.
Nursemates: Provided 15% off purchases including masks when healthcare workers sign up.
FJOLK: Offered a free pair of shoes to healthcare workers. Workers could email [email protected] to receive a pair from the FJOLK community.
Print For the Cure: Provided faceshields, mask straps, and door openers.

Transportation and Vehicle Services

Several automotive companies offered discounts to healthcare workers:

Budget Rentals, Enterprise Rentals, National Rentals: All offered 25% off rentals.
NTB: Provided discounts for first responders and healthcare workers, including a conventional oil change for $18.99 (+ $3 disposal fee), $20 savings on High-Mileage, Synthetic Blend or Full Synthetic Oil Changes, 20% off Services, and 10% off Tires.
Tire Kingdom: Offered ongoing discounts for healthcare workers who show their ID, including a conventional oil change for $18.99, 10% off tires and 20% off services.
Citi Bikes: Provided a free 30-day membership to those working the frontlines in NYC.

Mental Health and Wellness Resources

Several mental health and wellness organizations have provided free services to healthcare workers:

Talkspace Online Counseling: Donated 1,000 months of free online therapy to healthcare workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. Medical professionals received 1 free month of Talkspace's Unlimited Messaging Plus plan, including online therapy in the form of text, audio and video calls with a licensed therapist.
Simple Habit: Offered premium memberships for individuals financially impacted by the pandemic. Memberships typically cost $89.99/year and provide access to 150 world-class meditation teachers, therapists and coaches and 2,500 guided meditations. Healthcare workers could email [email protected] to receive a free premium membership.
Smiling Mind: Provided a FREE Healthcare Worker Program.
Ten Percent Happier: Offered free access to their meditation and mindfulness app content for healthcare workers.
Therapy International: Provided free online therapy sessions to medical workers and first responders.
UCF RESTORES: Provided free, one-on-one telehealth counseling sessions to frontline workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Appointments could be made by calling the UCF RESTORES Hotline from 9 until 5, Monday through Friday at 407-823-1657.
Francie Perkins Coaching: Offered a free 30-minute life coaching session to frontline nurses, radiology technologists, and respiratory therapists.

Professional Development and Educational Resources

Several organizations have provided free educational resources and professional development opportunities for healthcare workers:

Orbit CME: Offered a $100 credit for healthcare workers.
American Nurses Association (ANA): Provided a FREE 68-minute webinar for RNs entitled "Be Confident Protecting Yourself and Providing the Best Care to Your Patients During this COVID-19 Pandemic."
Intelycare: Offered a 100% free COVID-19 Nurse Training Certification for nursing professionals. At the completion of the training, participants also received one free contact hour.
Care.com: Provided frontline healthcare workers with a free month of premium access to Care.com services to get help with caring for children, elderly parents, and pets. This included unlimited messaging with caregivers.

Shopping and Membership Benefits

Several retailers and membership organizations offered special benefits to healthcare workers:

BJ's Wholesale Club: Starting April 19, healthcare workers could shop every Sunday from 8am-9am with no membership required. BJ's also offered a free 4-month membership to healthcare workers and first responders. Workers could show their badge/ID to take advantage of these offers.
Careismatic Brands: Donated $1 million in Cherokee and Dickies scrubs in increments of 12-120 units to hospitals for frontline healthcare workers. Hospital executives needed to email [email protected] with hospital name, contact person and cell phone number, delivery address, and quantity requested for each women's, men's, and unisex scrubs, plus the size range needed.
ChiliPAD: Offered U.S.-based healthcare professionals and first responders a new or refurbished chiliPAD, a temperature-controlled mattress pad, good through May 31 while supplies lasted.

Additional Resources and Information Sources

The Average Socialite website publishes an ongoing list of perks and freebies for healthcare workers.
Thrillist collects up a similar list of nationwide chains offering free food for healthcare workers.
The SHARE blog has rounded up resources that can be helpful to healthcare workers during difficult times.

How to Access These Freebies and Perks

The process for accessing these freebies varies by offer:

For in-person discounts at restaurants and retailers: Healthcare workers typically need to show their employee ID badge.
For online offers: Many require verification through email submission of employee ID or other credentials.
For hotel discounts: Reservations may need to be made through special channels or by calling directly and mentioning the healthcare worker discount.
For educational resources: Registration typically involves providing professional credentials and may be available directly through the organization's website.

Conclusion

Healthcare workers have access to numerous freebies and discounts across various categories as a token of appreciation for their service during the pandemic and beyond. These offers include food and beverages, lodging, healthcare products, transportation services, mental health resources, professional development opportunities, and shopping benefits. While many of these offers were implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, some have become ongoing benefits. Healthcare workers should check with individual companies for current availability and eligibility requirements. Resources like The Average Socialite website continue to update lists of available perks and freebies specifically for healthcare workers.