WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The first step in this first responder "Thank You" to the hospitals in and around Wilkes-Barre was lining up and getting posters ready to make the message clear.
"It's important to show our support to all the communities, but especially here with the amount of people that we have," said Officer Kirk Merchel of the Wilkes-Barre City Police Department. "The health care staff that are out there, I feel that they need to be supported and know that they're appreciated."
The first stop on the salute was Wilkes-Barre General.
Before a parade of dozens of first responders, Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown presented the hospital staff with a proclamation naming May 7, "Hospital Appreciation Day" in the city.
"They're putting their lives on the line; they're going above and beyond. This is our way of recognizing them," Mayor Brown said.
After a speech from the fire chief and mayor, a LifeFlight helicopter flew over the hospital to offer up a dramatic "thank you" from the sky.
Then it was time for all the other first responders to say their "thank you" too.
"I didn't know about it until about 10 minutes ago, and everybody said get downstairs and see the parade," said certified registered nurse anesthetist Anne Marie Micikas. "It's very nice, and we appreciate it, believe me."
Staff at the hospital returned the gratitude to first responders who they acknowledge are also on the first lines of the COVID-19 crisis.
Similar ceremonies took place at Geisinger in South Wilkes-Barre, Geisinger Wyoming Valley, and the VA Hospital in Plains Township.
"Three hundred sixty-five days a year they support us in what we do, but during this pandemic emergency, they really stepped up to the challenge," said Chief Jay Delaney of the Wilkes-Barre City Fire Department. "We really just wanna say 'Thank You' for what they do all the time, but more importantly, the last couple of months."
Nurses said under there masks, they're smiling, and in some cases, there are tears of joy.
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