HAZLETON, Pa. — One by one, first responders drove down Vine Street in Hazleton.
They passed by a Lehigh Valley Health Network family medicine office and COVID-19 testing site to honor the health care workers here.
Last month, a similar sign of gratitude was done for workers at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Hazleton.
"It was a great parade and an honor that we did for the staff at the hospital, but don't want to feel that the testing sites or the health and wellness centers are left out of it, so we chose today to get everybody back together again," explained Hazleton Fire Chief Donald Leshko.
"It shows a lot of pride in the community, you know? We have a great community here not only in Hazleton but in the surrounding areas. The fire departments like to get together and show their appreciation," added Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat.
The staff at this office tells Newswatch 16 this was a much needed moment of joy.
"Yeah, it was exciting, we were looking forward to this all day," said practice manager Kyle Atchinson. "We heard about it earlier this morning, and we couldn't wait to see all the local EMS and first responders that come to see us on a daily basis."
"We want to make sure that everybody shows our support to that staff. You know, all the hospital staff. The doctors, the nurses, the respiratory therapists, everybody that's right down through working in a hospital-like environment they need to know that we're supporting them and behind them 100% in this COVID-19 battle," added Leshko.
"It's great to be part of the community, and the nurses were so excited. The smiles on their faces? We haven't seen that in weeks, so it's great to see the smiles on their faces and the waving and the joy that it brought to them today," said Atchinson.
The Hazleton Fire Chief says the parade also stopped by a little girl's birthday party during their travels, and he plans to do gestures of gratitude like this one every week in the Greater Hazleton Area.