Patient First in the Community

On January 11, we had the privilege of participating in a PEP(Parents as Educational Partners) meeting at Leesburg Elementary School, marking the beginning of our partnership with them. The PEP meetings serve as a crucial outreach to the community, engaging parents with valuable information. 

This month’s focus was on health, featuring a presentation by the school nurse addressing important topics on when not to send children to school. I presented our “Are You Too Sick for School” information. Approximately 65 parents attended the event with their children, creating a vibrant and supportive atmosphere. Following my presentation and the nurse’s session, there was a Zumba class. Additionally, the school provided food and free winter clothing, emphasizing their commitment to the community’s well-being. 

The event served as a powerful connection with the community, fostering positive relationships and reinforcing our commitment to the well-being of Leesburg Elementary School and its families. 
 

As 2023 drew to a close, we were happy to return to Bethlehem, PA to join in the fun of the annual PEEPsFest event there. This two-day New Year's eve festival provided lots of fun things for families and children to enjoy all day prior to the event culmination -- the PEEPs "Chick Drop." We were especially happy the event was "hybrid" this year, offering so much activity both indoors and outdoors. Both locations were packed full of people, all out to have a fun time. 

Just Born Quality Confections of Bethlehem partnered with the ArtsQuest organization at SteelStacks to once again bring this blockbuster event to the Lehigh Valley. This year both days were sold out, which indicates how popular it has become over the years, drawing some 3,000 participants each day.

We have enjoyed participating in this event several times over the years, and were sad when it was paused, and then was held exclusively outdoors during the pandemic. Things returned to normal this year, and there's no doubt it became the largest attended event in its history. 

It was such a good feeling to be back on site for this annual event, and to enjoy so many conversations with people who have had great experiences in all three of our Lehigh Valley Patient First locations and beyond, when they were sick or injured. We also helped a lot of new people learn more about what we do at Patient First when they stopped by our table for a complimentary blood pressure check, and to pick up a variety of fun give-away items. Is it too soon to be excited for New Year's eve activities for 2024? This is a must-attend event for families, but there's a lesson learned after this year. Order your tickets early, or you'll be out in the cold with another sold out event in 2024!

The holiday season got off to a great start in Richmond, VA with the 40th annual Dominion Energy Christmas Parade. This rain or shine event, which is free and open to the public, drew large crowds from near and far who lined up along Broad Street as they eagerly waited for the legendary Santa to make his appearance.

The parade began near the Science Museum of Virginia and concluded near the Richmond Coliseum. It included a variety of colorful floats, giant balloons, high school and college marching bands, dance groups, and playful holiday characters, including a particular Grinch whose heart grew three sizes that day.

Patient First, who has sponsored and participated in the event for several years now, was given the opportunity to carry the largest balloon in the parade - a 35' Cookie Monster balloon!  With guided direction from the balloon company and perhaps a little Christmas magic, 15 Patient First employees successfully navigated the balloon through city street lights, overhung tree limbs, and power lines. Patient First even got Cookie Monster to do a few spins, making him one of the more popular attractions.

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 balloon is in store for us in 2024!

We love participating at events at Bethlehem's Hanover Township Community Center, since it is located literally right down the street from our Bethlehem center. Once again we were invited to join their annual tree lighting and holiday event, and we were delighted to return. Mother Nature was not kind on event day, and brought us rainy conditions all day. Event organizers successfully pivoted, however, and brought most of the event indoors. We didn't complain since it allowed us to stay toasty warm inside and not be outdoors in the cold, wet weather. 

Each year this free event attracts hundreds of folks from the neighborhood and beyond, and this year was no exception. The lobby of the Community Center was packed full of people  before the event even began. This year participants enjoyed so many fun, family-friendly activities, including cookie decorating, an ice carving demonstration, an indoor snowball battle, and event photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus. There was even free food and beverages, and a local middle school band to set the holiday spirit. It was such a fun time for us, and a great evening out for families from the community!

Patient First has been a long-time sponsor and supporter of this community center over the years, and we have enjoyed a great relationship with the staff and volunteers who help make things happen there. We jump at the opportunity to join events there since everyone is so nice to work with, and the community appreciates having a Patient First in their neighborhood. We were thrilled to receive so many thanks and compliments from the locals who have supported us over the years. We look forward to joining more activities there in 2024!

We love being part of Bethlehem's Christkindlmarkt each year, and every year it seems to get bigger and better, if that is even possible. We were on site on Saturday, November 18 for Opening Weekend and the kickoff of the event's 31st anniversary.

The staff who puts this enormous event together is second to none, and it is always a pleasure to work with them. A host of volunteers are on site to ensure everyone has an amazing experience.

Although temperatures are chilly this time of year, we don't mind, since we always enjoy a steady flow of foot traffic while we are there from morning until night. This year we had many great conversations with folks who have visited our Lehigh Valley centers, plus others throughout eastern Pennsylvania, central Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. It was great to hear all of their positive comments about Patient First. We were particularly delighted to talk with a bus load of folks who traveled to the event from New Jersey, many of whom had visited our South Jersey centers, and had positive experiences with our providers and staff there.

Christkindlmarkt is a "must attend" even that continues weekends until Christmas. It features lots of holiday attractions like ice carving, decorations of all sorts, holiday trees and jumbo ornaments and of course, lots of shopping for thousands of gift items.

Huge tents are set up on campus to showcase traditional artisans and vendors.

A nice surprise for us this year was a visit from Miss Pennsylvania Miranda Moore, who will compete for the title of Miss America in January 2024 in Florida.

The event has been named one of the top holiday markets in the world by Travel + Leisure, and one of the top holiday markets in North America by USA TODAY. We look forward to returning again in 2024!

Patient First had the honor of sponsoring the 35th annual Sterling Festival on Saturday, October 7th, 2023. Every year the Sterling Foundation throws a massive block party surrounding the Sterling Community Center. Local artisans, crafters and businesses are invited to participate at this event. Attractions include an obstacle course, games, live music, a beer garden and much more for both adults and kids to enjoy.

Unfortunately for us, Mother Nature was not on our side. We had rain on and off throughout the event and winds that were at times too strong. Despite of the weather, we were able to interact with a lot of families that frequent our Sterling location, which was only 3 miles away.

This event is one of the largest in Sterling, and it is always a favorite among locals who anxiously its arrival every October. Overall, our Patient First staff had a great time and hope to be back next year!

Patient First is proud to partner with Moody Middle School this year by donating funds to help purchase agenda books for the students.  We recognize the challenges faced by educators and students to ensure effective communication and organization.  The agenda books are a valuable tool that empowers students to keep track of their assignments, deadlines and important events.  Utilizing these books can enhance students academic performance and helps create a successful environment.  We look forward to witnessing the positive impact of agenda books on the students educational journey!

Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA hosts its "Boo at the Zoo" celebration every weekend in October, and for years Patient First has been part of the fun. We always choose to participate on the Saturday nearest to Halloween when excitement is high and costumes are ready to be strutted and shown off. This year was no exception, and every year this event seems to grow larger and larger. Kudos to Zoo staff for completely transforming then environment into a kooky and spooky environment for all to enjoy.

People were encouraged to bring their little ghouls and ghosts to the event, and that is exactly what they did.  

This year's crowd was enormous, most likely because Mother Nature was extremely kind to us this year and gave us a summer-like day with temperatures in the mid-80's. It couldn't have been more perfect. We got such a kick out of the steady stream of costumed children, parents and grandparents and families as they visited with us and picked up a variety of our promotional items. Our staff got into the spirit as well and donned their own costumes. The energy and excitement of all who came by our ten was electrifying.

We love being part of activities at this great neighborhood zoo, and we are amazed each year at how much things change there and how they continue to grow. It is such a fun place, and many folks find it to be a great alternative to the larger and more costly zoos in the area. Families of all ages just love their visits to this location. And the Boo at the Zoo is always one of our favorite community activities each year. We had a great time this year, and can hardly wait to find out what is in store there in 2024! 

On October 20th & 21st, our Patient First staff returned to the creepy campgrounds of Codorus State Park for their annual Trail of Treats event. Usually a beautiful, dense forest, this time of year campers pull out all the stops to get into the spirit of Halloween, with all manner of decorations, statues and animatronic figures, and light projection effects, scaring up a frightfully good time for 3,000 costumed trick or treaters and their families.

Much like last year's appearance, our tent was very popular, with kids fascinated and delighted to receive our safety blinkers, which lit up the night and our buckets as we handed them out. Parents were happy to receive hand sanitizer to clean up their little ones after a night of binging on candy and wandering through the woods.

Our Patient First staff got into the spirit of the night, dressing up in costume as Snow White, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, a spider, a nurse, and of course what fall event isn't complete without Pumpkin Spice? Directly across from our tent was a family of Barbies and Kens, both in and out of their boxes, who provided quite a bit of entertainment for us and all the passersby.

This is always one of the most memorable events of our year, and it was great to see new faces come out to join our staff. We're already looking forward to next year's Trail!

Patient First had a fantastic time being part of St Christopher's Fall Festival.  We hosted the MASH tent that the students loved.  With the help of our amazing staff and some wonderful student volunteers, we were able to ensure that it was an enjoyable experience for all.  Everyone jumped in and rolled up their sleeves to help out as we steadily wrapped fake injuries with gauze and garnished them with fake blood.  It was fun to hear the children's creative minds tell the stories of how the imaginary injuries were sustained.  

In addition to our tent, there were lots of games, several bounce houses, food trucks and activities in which the students could participate.  There was also a DJ on site that kept the atmosphere lively, coupled with an unseasonably warm day, making the event an overall success.

Patient First was thrilled to be part of this event and contribute to the community.  We look forward to future opportunities to bring the fun and excitement!