Patient First in the Community

Patient First‘s commitment to the community goes beyond providing convenient, cost-effective health care. Patient First also supports numerous organizations that make a positive impact in our local neighborhoods and across the mid-Atlantic.

Community Relations News

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See what Patient First is doing in the community.

It's the unofficial sendoff to  summer, and tens of thousands of people took part in the fun at the Maryland State Fair at the Timonium Fairgrounds the weekend of September 3rd & 4th. This was Patient First's first year participating in this 141 year tradition, and by all accounts it was a resounding success!

Positioned right at the mouth of the midway, our Patient First was the first thing to greet the more than 100 thousand  who passed through the turnstiles. Fairgoers loaded their Patient First bags with hand sanitizer, band-aids, hot/cold packs, pens, post-it's, along with wooden planes and yo-yo's for the kids right out of the gate as they began their day. The event attracted patients from as far south as Fairfax, VA, and York, PA to the north. Nearly everyone who stopped by were familiar with both our brand and our services, and had wonderful things to say about our staff.

In addition to having a prime greeting spot at the entrance, Patient First was also the official sponsor of the fairground's nine permanent hand washing stations, and 11 mobile hand washing stations, scattered across the 100 acres of the property. These signs will remain at the facility throughout the year, and visible to everyone who attends the variety of events held at the fairgrounds well into 2023. We are also prominently featured on a sign above the exit to the popular 4H Exhibition Hall.

The staff and organizers at the fair couldn't have been nicer, and more accommodating, and we certainly look forward to working with them again in the future!

 

Beach Events kicked off their annual Funk Festival at the Virginia Beach oceanfront on 24th Street. For 12 years, this exciting festival has brought people together for a weekend of music and fun. We know the saying that music is medicine for the soul. Inspired by several genres of music, funk's rhythmic pattern makes dancing hard to resist. People lined the boardwalk, grooving to music while stopping by the Patient First tent to collect free promotional items.

With good weather and good vibes, Patient First was happy to participate in this electrifying event. We had a great time, and look forward to seeing you all next year!

It's been a good summer for the Baltimore Orioles and their AA farm system team, the Bowie Baysox, and Patient First is proud to be a part of these two winning seasons. In addition to running the first aid center for every Baysox home game, Friday August 19th, and Friday August 26th completed our six-game showcasing events for Patient First at the games.

Not only did the Baysox entertain the crowds by winning each of their games (the first in a tense, extra innings showdown), each night was capped off with a dazzling fireworks display, and an opportunity to let kids run the bases.

Over the course of both nights, we saw hundreds of people, and gave out hundreds of promotional items, including hand sanitizer, band-aids, magnet clips, pens, paper, and the ever-popular hot/cold packs. Throughout each event, our brand awareness was strong, with every single person who stopped by not only familiar with, but a fan of the service we provide our patients. Congratulations to the Baysox as they continue their run to the playoffs, and we look forward to joining them again next season! 

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Landover Hills, MD held its annual National Night Out, which is organized by the local Police department. National Night Out is a community-police awareness raising event in the United States every year. This year there was face painting and arts and crafts activities. In addition, they had the bomb squad and robots present. Located near our Landover Hills, MD location, this event drew families in the local area. They loved our Band-Aids, hand sanitizer and especially the Patient First yo-yo’s. We would to thank Landover Hills Police department for inviting Patient First to come out to this event. We look forward to seeing you all again next year.

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We had such a nice time at the recent Limerick Community Day in Royersford, PA near our Collegeville and Pottstown centers. Held at the beautiful Limerick Community Park, this family oriented event was hosted by Limerick Township Parks and Recreation and the Spring-Ford Chamber of Commerce. We enjoyed a day full of activities with appeal to all ages.

The Spring-Ford Area High School Marching Band opened the event, and were in great musical form to kick off the festivities. Friends and families of these student musicians came out to cheer on the band, and then stayed for the rest of the fun which included tents and tables from a variety of local businesses and community vendors, including Patient First. RAM Nation Spring-Ford High School Sports and Athletics also participated in the event.  A Food Truck Festival made the overall success of the event extra special and kept people on site for the duration of the event. And best of all, Mother Nature provided us with a picture perfect day – bright sunshine, blue skies and warm weather.

We love opportunities where we can get close with community folks, talk with them and answer their questions about urgent care, and what we do. Participating in community events like this gives us the perfect opportunity to do so. We look forward to doing even more as the Fall season approaches!

The Carytown community celebrated 40 years of the beloved Watermelon Festival with perfectly mild weather and sunny skies.  The festival stretched over several blocks with vendors, music and food trucks. This was a great way to bring folks together.  A projected 100,000+ people were in attendance and over 3,000 watermelons were cut and used to serve the patrons. From freshly cut watermelon to deep fried watermelon, everyone was sure to find something tasty to enjoy.


Patient First has participated in this event for years.  Who knew that something so sweet and enjoyable could be so good for you? Patient First was happy to share the health benefits of eating watermelon, along with some creative watermelon recipes.  And of course we brought Band-Aids and hand sanitizer too.  We’d like to thank the folks of Carytown for a great time.  We look forward to seeing you all next year!

 

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It was a beautiful day with perfect weather for a youth triathlon on a Saturday morning in Ashburn, Virginia.

Hundreds of youth athletes from the ages 6 to 15 gathered in the Ashburn community for the multisport race which included swimming in the Lakes Rec Center outdoor pool, biking around the neighborhood, and running on a marked course starting and ending at The Lakes Rec Center.

As the participants finished the race, they all received a ribbon and were congratulated by their family and friends.

Staff from Patient First came out to engage with the public by handing out promotional items and spoke about services that Patient First offers. We even snagged a picture at the finish line.

The entire event was a great success and our staff had great engagement and interactions with attendees.

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Musikfest returned for its 39th year in the Lehigh Valley this year, and we were part of the action again. This 10-day event is the country’s largest free music festival, and draws more than 1 million people to Bethlehem annually. It also provides huge economic impact to the Lehigh Valley area – and estimated $60 million+ each year.


Throughout its 10-day run, Musikfest offers hundreds of performances for “Festers ” to enjoy, and almost all of them are free. The only ones requiring tickets are the nightly headliners, which this year included Counting Crows, Ziggy Marley, Willie Nelson, Kelsea Ballerini, and of course, Boys II Men, who headlined Preview Day- our day of participation.


Although we are only there for a single day, Musikfest and Arts Quest organizers always go above and beyond to be accommodating and welcoming to us. They even joked with us about picking the hottest day of the year to participate, and this year was no exception. Temps hovered near 100-degrees all day. We are already looking forward to returning to this amazing event in 2023.

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On Saturday, August 6th the 2022 Water Lantern Festival was held at Mount Trashmore in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Thousands of people came together to experience unity in the community that was moving, yet uplifting.  People channeled their creative side working effortlessly to design water lanterns that were meaningful to them.  Many people listed their dreams and aspirations whiles others took time to commemorate the loss of a loved one.  Some participants were brave enough to get up on stage and share their personal stories.  As night fell, everyone headed to the lake to release their lanterns which is symbolic to releasing peace, hope and happiness.

For years Patient First has aided in healing the community through the services provided at our medical centers.  We were proud to support an event that brought healing and community connection outside of the healthcare setting.  Although the event just concluded, we are already looking forward to next year.

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Red Knights PA Chapter 10 is a motorcycle club comprised of past and present firefighters and their families who are devoted to helping their fellow First Responders in a variety of ways. They organized their inaugural Berks County Firefighter Appreciation Day, and invited Patient First to be part of the celebration.

What an honor it was to stand with so many first responders – fire, ambulance, police and more in a day of appreciation – heroes just like those of us who work in the medical profession during these challenging, pandemic times.


This was a family-friendly event … and we interacted with families of all ages.


There were about a dozen fire trucks with their crews on site, several EMS/Ambulance providers … and even a medical helicopter flew in and stayed for a few hours. The event provided demonstrations of a vehicle extraction, and extinguishing a vehicle fire – both fascinating to view, and educational. There were also many events and activities/contests geared just for the firefighters, so it was fun to watch them compete and cheer them on in races and tactical/skill activities.

We are already looking forward to joining other activities that recognize First Responders.