Healthcare Worker Appreciation Event To Be Held At Bucks Hospital

BRISTOL, PA — Local philanthropists Gene and Marlene Epstein will be hosting a 'Healthcare Worker Appreciation' at Lower Bucks Hospital's auditorium on Thursday, March 24.

According to Gene Epstein, who spoke to Patch over the phone, the event is "all about the nurses and all healthcare workers" to show that Bucks County cares about them.

Epstein, whose granddaughter is a nurse, feels that people in the healthcare profession are being taken for granted now that the COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding throughout the nation.

"The public outpouring of appreciation for nurses [was strong]," he said.

The couple's humanitarian fund held a similar event at St. Mary Medical Center in February. Gene told Patch that he wants appreciation events like these to spread nationwide.

A breakfast buffet, fully paid for by Epstein, will be offered for night shift workers of the hospital from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Hospital staff will be entertained by a fife and drum piece by local reenactors from the Friends of Washington Crossing, who will perform outside the hospital, as well as the Harry S. Truman school band. The entertainment will last from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Officials from Bucks County Community College, whose Bristol campus is named after the Epsteins, will give special remarks for the occasion.

Lunch will be offered to all staff members from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

"We're going all out," Epstein told Patch.

A longtime donor to Bucks County charities and businesses, Gene says he always does his homework on where the funds will go.

"I spend countless hours researching to make sure that the organization meets certain standards," he said.

Having lived in Bucks County for over 50 years, Gene says he and his wife donate for the love of the area and the people in it.

"It's just hard work."