The staff at the Cypress Regional Hospital were greeted with a vibrant surprise Sunday evening at the end of their shifts.

Just outside the staff door exit from the Swift Current facility, a healthcare mural was crafted by a pair of local artists thanking the staff that work there.

One of the brains behind the idea was Stefan Rumpel, as he and a few friends thought this would be a perfect time to shower healthcare workers with support and appreciation, something he believes has died out when compared to the spring of 2020.

"In March of last year people were out banging pots and thanking healthcare workers," he said. "At that time ICUs weren't being filled up and there wasn't a lot of pressure on the system and then it's been in recent months and weeks that things have gotten a lot more challenging."

Not only has the COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations rose significantly over the past year, but the way the public has supported front-line workers has also changed too according to Rumpel.

"Why is what we're seeing mainly in the media... People standing outside ICUs in Regina protesting as people inside are losing loved ones and that just seems so negative and so frustrating," he said. "We were trying to come up with ways that we could show healthcare people that we appreciate them and want to get through this together."

That's when Rumpel reached out to artists Amy Collins and Mandy Herrick with his idea but handed over the creative reins to them.

"We wanted to utilize Mandy's calligraphy skills and my portraiture work," Collins said. "We chose to incorporate some symbolic images of working in a hospital setting with the prairie lily symbolic of Saskatchewan."

The piece carried the same 'home' theme, the pair used at the skatepark last year in Swift Current, with Herrick doing the lettering and Collins filling in with images.

It's only been a few days since the imagery was created but Rumpel said the feedback they've received from healthcare staff and the public via texts, phone calls, and on social media has been really positive.

"My real hope is that that outreach not only brightens the day for healthcare workers and lets them know they're appreciated," he said. "But also suggests to the general public, the greatest way to show our appreciation is get vaccinated, follow the guidelines, and help our healthcare professionals get through this, by ending it."

As of Tuesday afternoon, the sidewalk chalk artwork was still intact and hasn't been ruined by any weather elements.