Local police organize drive-by to thank health care workers

Emergency sirens were on full blast this morning.

Members of the Prince Albert Police Service, Gateway Regional Victim Services, RCMP North District Management Team and the Prince Albert RCMP organized a drive by Victoria Hospital to say thank you to health care workers.

At 10:30 a.m. multiple police vehicles drove down Ninth Avenue and looped toward the main entrance and around the hospital where they blasted sirens and flashed emergency lights. Numerous staff stood outside and waved to police as they passed by.

Prince Albert RCMP Sgt. Brian Kelly told paNOW said members wanted to do a good deed.

“It struck me that obviously with some of the COVID-19 things that have been happening at the hospital and we’ve been taking our prisoners and work with the healthcare staff quite a bit every week,” Kelly said. “I just wanted to be able to show them that we haven’t forgotten about them and we support them.

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“We understand that a lot of this stuff we deal with on a much smaller nature, they’re dealing with it head on every day dealing with potential COVID-19 patients.”

Police vehicles make there way around this Victoria Hospital this morning to salute health care workers. (Ian Gustafson/paNOW Staff)

This morning the Saskatchewan Health Authority declared the COVID-19 outbreak at the Victoria Hospital is now over. Although the pandemic is not over, it is positive news heading into the weekend.

“I also just got that news too so it’s kind of worked out twofold that it was a little celebration at the same time,” Kelly said. “But initially I had heard about the outbreak there with a patient too and that was part of it, but I also just wanted to show them we support them.”

Prince Albert Police Service Sgt. Troy Dumont, who helped organize the event, said he also wanted to show support for health care workers.

“Our officers commonly bring in prisoners and meet with victims and witnesses several times a month at the hospital and work with the medical staff,” Dumont said in the statement. “We are also aware of patients with COVID-19 in the hospital as was recently reported which would be stressful. Our job can be stressful, and we understand the hospital setting can be equally stressful and more so with the pandemic.

“Our ‘sirens for support’ will hopefully shine a little light their way and let them know we are thinking of them during this time. We partnered with PAPS who will also be taking part in the drive through.”

–

Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12