South San Francisco, CA December 9, 2022 submitted by Karl Sonkin, Kaiser Permanente
First responders applauded frontline caregivers at Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center, thanking them for their service during the pandemic and now.
For the past two years, Speier has visited hospitals in the area sharing her appreciation and support for the care hospital staff provided throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joining Speier early morning December 2nd at 7am were local politicians and a squadron of police cars with their lights flashing. A large American flag hung from the extended ladder of a South San Francisco fire truck.
As Kaiser Permanente employees entered and exited the hospital they were applauded by politicians, police and firefighters.
“We are greeting the hospital staff to show them that we have not forgotten their hard work and sacrifices,” Speier said in a news release. “Long before we had vaccines, they stayed on the front lines to take care of the most vulnerable patients.”
Speier said the hospital staff deserve our deepest gratitude for saving lives and leading patients to recovery.
She conceded we’re not out of the woods yet with the rising numbers of COVID-19, flu, and RSV cases.
“Things are still busy here,” said John Skerry, MD, Physician in Chief of Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco.
He said caring for patients throughout the pandemic helped the hospital tackle the current tripledemic of flu , COVID-19, and RSV.
“There’s just a whole series of respiratory illness, so it’s not just Covid. It’s flu, it’s RSV, it’s all the things we see during the winter, but we’re still very busy here at the hospital.”
And while the event was to honor the healthcare workers, hospital staff also had something up their sleeves for the retiring Speier.
A handsome plaque honoring her will now hang in the hospital’s lobby.
