HONESDALE, Pa. — The staff at Wayne Memorial Hospital in Honesdale have been fighting the coronavirus battle for exactly one year. It hasn't been easy for doctors, nurses, and staff all across the country, and the hospital in Wayne County wanted to honor and remember the lives lost and those saved.
"This is a milestone for us. We took such great strides in what we had to do to prepare. We actually were in preparation for COVID when we actually got the news that the first patient was being tested," said Karen Novobilski, a nurse at Wayne Memorial Hospital.
"We've saved a lot of lives. A lot of people have been discharged out of our COVID unit, thanks to the wonderful care and compassion that our staff has shown," said Wayne Memorial Hospital CEO Dave Hoff.
Staff members gathered outside the hospital, awaiting noon for the bells to toll, honoring the 67 lives lost in Wayne County over the past year.
Across town, at the Wayne County Courthouse, county officials and employees held a moment of silence, and then the clock struck noon. Church bells rang out, and handbells were clanging as the community came together to show its resilience and strength in the wake of COVID-19.
"We're grateful to the hospital for coordinating this event so we can take a minute to memorialize a lot of the people that we have lost, and a lot of people that have been sick and families who've been affected," said Wayne County Commissioner Jocelyn Cramer.
Wayne Memorial officials say each day is still a risk for those working to save lives, but it's the community that has given them the strength to keep fighting, giving back to the hospital however they can.
"Whether it's donating masks, donating money for food, we couldn't be more proud to be a member of this community," Hoff said.
To date, 67 people from Wayne County have died from the coronavirus. And all the nurses, doctors, and hospital staff say they will continue the fight until this pandemic has passed.