Ascension first responders salute healthcare professionals

Members of the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, along with area first responders, paid tribute to the healthcare professionals in both Gonzales and Donaldsonville last week.

Several local officials worked together to provide meals to the staff members at Our Lady of the Lake Ascension and Prevost Memorial hospitals Wednesday, April 15. 

APSO Public Information Officer Allison Hudson said the event was a way to express gratitude for those serving the public throughout the coronavirus crisis.

“We cannot thank our healthcare professionals enough for the jobs they do,” Hudson said. “We appreciate them for being on the frontline and working hard for all.”

State Senators Ed Price and Eddie Lambert, State Representatives Clay Schexnayder, Ken Brass, Kathy Edmonston, and Tony Bacala joined forces to provide the lunches, she said. 

A video of drone footage was shared to the APSO Facebook page following the event. Firefighters and local police joined the Sheriff’s Office in a procession to OLOL Ascension. 

Television videographers and hospital employees could be seen as the first responders made their entrance onto the grounds of the hospital along Hwy. 30 in Gonzales.

At the conclusion of the video, Sheriff Bobby Webre credited local healthcare professionals for “fighting day in and day out to beat coronavirus.”

“We thank you for all you do,” he said. “We thank you for your work, and your help. Thanks for being there every day.”

Prevost administrators also thanked the first responders and the local officials for their tribute to their staff. They expressed their gratitude in a post shared to the hospital’s Facebook page.

“Often times our small hospital is forgotten, but today we were reminded of just how important we are to this community,” the post stated. “This gesture has melted our hearts and given us a sense of hope during some of our most trying days.”

Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan was among the dignitaries to attend the tribute at Prevost hospital.

“I would like to send out a personal thank you to the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Bobby Webre, and the city’s Fire Department for their kind gesture to the healthcare team at Prevost Memorial Hospital,” Sullivan said.

He also thanked the local officials for their involvement.

“We want all of these community servants to know that we are behind them,” Sullivan said.

Earlier in the week, the Sheriff’s Office also recognized those who work “behind the scenes” during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week.

“Dispatchers don’t get to have bad days; they are required to provide the calming influence, the competent voices that give hope to those during a crisis,” Hudson said in a social media post. “Dispatchers are our heroes, and we admire them for the thankless job they do daily.”