Patient First in the Community

The 41st Annual Dominion Energy Christmas Parade returned Saturday, December 7th, as tens of thousands lined up along Broad Street to watch Jolly Old Saint Nicholas come to town and usher in the holiday season. This year's theme was "Christmas Wishes," which included colorful floats, giant helium balloons, high school and college marching bands, princesses and superheroes, and more that even the Grinch could not resist!

The tradition, which is free and open to the public, has a reach that spans across the entire state, including many of our service areas. This year, Patient First was one of four balloons in the parade and had the prestigious honor of carrying the legendary Santa balloon. With 15 Patient First employees in tow, and a little Christmas magic, we pranced and sleighed around stoplights, light poles and tree branches, as the crowd cheered at each successful spin. This was a warm welcome in contrast to the bitter cold and wind we endured.

Our staff looks forward to participating in the parade each year, as it allows our mission to come full circle, affording us an opportunity to have a front row seat to our community and those we serve. We can hardly wait to see what next year has in store for us! Happy Holidays!

Bethlehem, PA's Hanover Township Community Center welcomed the 2024 holiday season in a big way with its annual tree lighting holiday event. We are always so happy to support and participate in events at this facility since it is literally right down the street from our Bethlehem Patient First center.

Each year, this evening event attracts hundreds of folks from the neighborhood, and the best part of all, it is FREE and open to the community. Each year it seems to get bigger and bigger, too, with all kinds of fun activities and surprises for young and old alike. Expertly organized, the staff at the Community Center effectively uses just about every square inch of the facility, both indoors and outdoors, to create a truly fun filled evening for participants. We loved being back on site for the event again this year, and got such a charge out of all the commotion, the fun holiday music provided by a local disc jockey. and seeing all the smiling and happy faces. 

Pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, an indoor snowball battle, cookie decorating, free food and beverages including home made cake pops and popcorn, and crafts of all sorts and coloring table for the children to enjoy provided lots of indoor fun. Step outdoors, and you're treated to an ice carving demonstration, holiday music provided by a local school band, and a winter wonderland full of illuminated lights all over campus. All this combined to make it a great time for all who came out to enjoy the official start of the holiday season in Hanover Township. They thought of everything, including a huge outdoor grill for people to roast s'mores and grill hot dogs. 

Of course, the highlight of the evening was when the switch was flipped and the holiday tree was illuminated. The line for photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus was non-stop all evening. We did get to talk with Santa while there, and we put in our request for a safe, happy and healthy holiday season for us all.

The Towson Chamber of Commerce rang in the holiday season on Friday, December 6th with their annual Towson Tree Lighting celebration. Several hundred people braved the cold and wind to sing carols, patronize local chamber partners who lined the streets with their tables along Washington Avenue, and witness the lighting of the massive tree at the center of Towson's downtown circle. There were also appearances by holiday themed characters like the Grinch, Olaf, the Chick-fil-A cow (in Santa attire), and of course the jolly old elf himself, Saint Nicholas, who came in riding atop a fire truck.

Our Patient First table was one of the first to line the streets on the path to the tree. While the event only lasted 90 minutes we met with plenty of people, all of whom had been patients at our Towson center, which was less than a mile away from the festivities. Those we spoke with were an even mix of students from nearby Towson University, families, and retirees, and were all very complimentary about the care they received from our staff.

This was our first time participating in this event. Despite the chill in the air, the mood was festive and warm, and before we knew it, the celebration was over! The staff at our table had a wonderful time, and we look forward to being a part of it again next year!

The holiday season got off to a raucously festive start in Lancaster on Friday, November 30th, with the Mayor's Tree Lighting ceremony at Penn Square in the heart of downtown Lancaster.

For the first time in several years, Patient First returned as a sponsor for this event, and was afforded a table inside the warm and cozy confines of the city's Welcome Center, just feet away from the tree, where hundreds braved the frigid temperatures and wind, lining the streets shoulder-to-shoulder to witness this kickoff to the holiday season.

The event featured songs, poetry readings, and appearances from Cylo, the mascot of the Lancaster Stormers, and from Santa himself, who arrived atop a hook and ladder fire truck. After the mayor flipped the switch to illuminate the massive tree, the night concluded with a dance party in the square.

The city's tourism committee, who organized the event, made us feel very welcome, and encouraged people to come in, warm up, and visit our table. Everyone we spoke with had been patients at our centers in the past, whether it was Lancaster or points even farther out. The only family we spoke with that hadn't heard of Patient First had a good reason-- they were from the UK!

Despite the frosty weather, this was a very well attended event, and a very enjoyable one. We look forward to returning in 2025.

For the past four years, Patient First has participated in Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt, and once again the event did not disappoint. It has become one of our favorite events of the year. This all-day event ran from morning until evening, and it gave us a full day of fun interacting with the huge crowd that came out to enjoy opening weekend.

Christkindlmarkt has been a holiday hit in Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley for years. In addition to hand-crafted gifts, the market has expanded over the years to include tastes and sounds of the season including German strudel, carols and even a visit from St. Nick. It now commands international attention for its holiday shopping experience and is noted among the top holiday markets in the world. We are thrilled to be included in the lineup of such an outstanding event!

Throughout the day we enjoyed so many great conversations from folks who have visited our centers from all over Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. It was great to hear all of the positive comments from many people who went out of their way to show us the love. Our Lehigh Valley centers in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton naturally got the most love from locals who stopped by to visit with us.

Each year this event features lots of holiday attractions like ice carving, decorated holiday trees and jumbo ornaments, and of course lots of shopping and great eating. It takes place weekends up until Christmas. We were there on Saturday, 11/16/24 for Opening Weekend and the beginning of the event's 31st anniversary year. 

A visit to Christkindlmarkt most definitely puts everyone in the holiday spirit! How many days until we return in 2025?

On Saturday, November 23rd, Patient First joined Johns Hopkins Medicine at their 30th annual symposium, A Woman's Journey. A series of lectures focusing on women's health issues, this year's conference drew in excess of 1,000 women in attendance.

Patient First was the only non-Hopkins affiliated organization in attendance, and we were made to feel very welcome. Speaking with attendees in between conference sessions, most had been patients from our Lutherville-Timonium center, and had nothing but glowing things to say about the care they received there. We also spoke with people from as far south as Waldorf, and Mechanicsburg, PA to the north. The event's chairperson, Kelly Ripken stopped by to thank us for being part of the day, and told us about her own visits to our Lutherville center, as well.  

As this was our first time hosting a table for this symposium in at least four years, we were made to feel very welcome and look forward to attending in 2025.

Tis the season for spreading germs! The holidays are generally considered the season of giving, and that includes germs. And no one does that better than little kids. Recently, a class of kindergartners got a hands-on lesson from Patient First physician, Dr. Trissana Emdadi, M.D., and Director of Medical Support, Michelle Kidd, on the importance of washing their hands amidst the holiday season.

To demonstrate the germs, Dr. Emdadi and Michelle put a little squirt of Glo Germ on each child's hand, and then shined a black light so they could see how many "germs" they had. Then, each child washed their hands, remembering to scrub in between each finger with soap and warm water while singing the "Happy Birthday" song twice through. Afterwards, they shined a black light again to see if the germs had disappeared.

While the Glo Germ may be part magic, it's a great visualization to show where the kids should be focusing on while washing their hands. The ultimate goal, of course, is to cut down on the number of illnesses that typically spread throughout the holiday season and into the cold and flu season.

Patient First offers our handwashing project program to area schools in each of our regions throughout the year, but especially in the colder months. "This time of year, we're getting colds and flus," Emdadi said. "And, I think as we get closer to the holidays, gathering together, our goal is to keep everyone healthy so they can enjoy their holidays together."

Home at Last Dog Rescue based in Lansdale, PA celebrated its 10th annual Howloween 5K and 1 mile Dog Walk this year, and Patient First was fortunate to participate as an event sponsor for the first time this year. We are already eagerly anticipating returning to the 2025 event, and hopefully getting even more engaged with this great organization in the year ahead. It was such a fun time! We were so lucky to score a day of perfect Fall weather, and participants came out in droves -- many in costumes (dogs included) to have fun during this Halloween themed event.

Parkside Place Park in North Wales, PA hosted the event, and it was a perfect location to accommodate such a large and well-attended event. We joined many other vendors and enjoyed a day of interacting with a lot of fun people and their dogs. And yes, we all wanted to take a least one of the adoptable dogs home with us. So many canines of all shapes and sizes and ages were being "shown off" by the foster parents of these fur babies throughout the day.

This organization's hope is to provide an alternative to the purchase of puppy mill and pet store dogs, therefore reducing the demand for and ultimately the supply of such dogs. All of this is accomplished through the support of so many volunteers whose goal is to save the lives of homeless dogs suffering in high kill shelters, as well as owner surrender dogs that need to be rehomed due to unfortunate circumstances.

If you are looking to add a "fur baby" to your household and you're in the Greater Philadelphia area, this is an organization you should check out. We are so excited to have been able to establish a new relationship with the organization this year, and we are looking forward to identifying other ways for us to work together to help these dogs in need, and bring joy into the homes of families who choose to adopt.

On Friday and Saturday, October 25th and 26th, Patient First returned to the campground at Codorus State Park in Hanover, PA to take part in the Codorus Trail of Treats. An event that has become legendary in the region, this two-night, sold-out event brings in families from all around the area, as well as campers who've set up amazing Halloween displays at their camp sites. Each night, 1,500 tickets are sold to families who travel through the campground and interact with the hundreds of camp sites.

This event has always been a particularly fun one for our staff, who can dress up in costume as they hand out our safety blinkers and hand sanitizer. We brought 3,000 blinkers to the event, and went through every single box in our inventory! What makes it even more incredible is that all that happened with the space of three hours each night!

The parents we spoke with came from all over the area-- from Hanover, from York, even from northern Baltimore County. So many people remembered us from our presence there over the past three years, and told us how much they loved the level of care they received from our centers.

This is always a very intense, but very fun pair of evenings that mark the last stretch of our event calendar. It's always a thrill to see the array of costumes and decorations by the thousands, and our staff (a few of them first-timers) say they look forward to being a part of it next year!

Each Fall for the past few years, Patient First has been excited to participate in Apple Days weekend activities hosted by Historic Bethlehem & Sites. The organization has an outstanding volunteer support base which makes things especially nice for us when we're on site, and great for all who attend the event.

We had lots of visits to our tent over the weekend. It is always so nice to hear from people who share with us that they have chosen Patient First as their "go to" urgent care center in the Lehigh Valley.

To keep things running smoothly, event organizers had shuttle busses running from off-site parking areas to accommodate all of the incoming visitors. This was such a nice feature and made access easy and convenient for all.

Most participants who visited with us had great things to say about their experiences as patients in our Lehigh Valley centers -- Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. We also met with visitors who had been seen by providers in a few of our South Jersey centers, as well.

As usual, the event was "all things apple" with many food and beverage treats to sample. We definitely satisfied our sweet tooth while there by sampling their delicious apple crumb pies and ice cream. How many more days until the 2025 event? We are ready to return.