WEST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) - Hundreds of police officers, firefighters, sheriff's deputies and other first responders paraded past Cedars-Sinai Medical Center today with sirens blaring and lights flashing in a show of support for health care workers on National Nurses Day.
Representatives from various law enforcement agencies and fire departments took part in the tribute, which brought hundreds of workers outside the hospital to watch the spectacle, all wearing masks and waving as the parade passed by.
At the hospital's entrance, first responders -- also wearing masks -- gathered for pictures with the health care workers and other hospital employees. The crowd cheered as a law enforcement helicopter circled overhead.
“This is amazing. The support from the fire department, the police department, from the community, thank you. It means the world to us,” one nurse told KTLA5 during the event.
“We're very blessed,” another said. “This is overwhelming.”
The procession of first responders began at Santa Monica and La Cienega boulevard and moved through West Hollywood, passing multiple medical centers along the way, before arriving at Cedars-Sinai. Another procession is expected to be held along the same route at 7:15 p.m.
“We have all of our first responders out here paying homage to the people who are really doing the work day-to-day, which is our hospital workers,” West Hollywood Mayor John D'Amico told Channel 5. “... Today is National Nurses Day, so we wanted to surprise them, but this is really something that's been in the works for a few days now. ... This is really a tribute to those people who are doing all the hard work.”
The city urged residents and others to join the tribute remotely by posting comments on social media or displaying banners or signs at their homes.
Similar tributes are being planned at other medical centers across the Southland to recognize health care workers on the front lines of the COVID- 19 pandemic.