Cops Sending Holiday Cheer To Wildomar, Murrieta Hospital Patients

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — Law enforcement agencies throughout Riverside County will begin a two-day "Holiday Cheer" campaign Tuesday, parading around hospitals in patrol units with lights and sirens in an effort to the spirits of staff and patients.

The campaign will begin Tuesday morning with visits to medical facilities in the Coachella Valley and then move west until it reaches the Hemet Global Medical Center in the afternoon, according to Lt. Brandi Swan from the Riverside County Sheriff's Department

"This coordinated effort of over 32 law enforcement agencies from local, state, and federal agencies, will travel a total of over 300 miles and visit 30 hospitals," said Swan.

Tuesday's visits are slated to begin at 10:30 a.m., beginning at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio. The following locations will then be visited at the designated times:
-- Eisenhower Medical Center at 11:45 a.m.;
-- Desert Regional Medical Center at 12:45 p.m.;
-- San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital at 1:45 p.m.;
-- Kaiser Permanente-Moreno Valley at 2:30 p.m.;
-- Riverside University Health System at 2:40 p.m.; and
-- Hemet Global Medical Center at 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday's visits will begin with the Menifee Global Medical Center at 11 a.m. The following locations will then be visited at the designated times:
-- Kaiser Permanente-Murrieta at 11:30 a.m.;
-- Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta at noon;
-- Rancho Springs Medical Center, Murrieta, at 12:45 p.m.;
-- Temecula Valley Hospital at 1:15 p.m.;
-- Inland Valley Medical Center, Wildomar, at 2 p.m.;
-- Corona Regional Medical Center at 3 p.m.;
-- Kaiser Permanente-Riverside at 3:45 p.m.;
-- Parkview Community Hospital, Riverside, at 4:15 p.m.;
-- Riverside Community Hospital at 4:30 p.m.; and
-- Loma Linda University Medical Center at 6 p.m.

"With lights and sirens activated, law enforcement officers hope to spread much holiday cheer," according to Swan, who emphasized that the gesture is especially important for the medical personnel "who have worked around the clock over the last two years to keep the community safe."

—City News Service