Saint Joseph hospitals honor first responders with ‘Blessing of the Rigs’

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph Jessamine hosted the “Blessing of the Rigs” to honor and bless first responders in the Lexington and Nicholasville areas.

First responders were invited to attend the event where they each had a non-denominational blessing over themselves, their rigs and the patients they help.

The event was held statewide at CHI Saint Joseph Health facilities including Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Flaget Memorial Hospital.

“You know, we do a great job of giving back through charity and whatnot. But this really allowed us to show our humankindness to our EMS partners and firefighters,” said Missy Hicks, BSN, RN, Market Director, Emergency Services, CHI Saint Joseph Health.

The event was part of the organization’s “A Year of Humankindness” that started in January with the launch of its new brand messaging, “Hello humankindness.” According to CHI Saint Joseph Health, humankindness the one word for the connection we share, the healing power in each of is, is the ultimate principle that guides their work.

“The COVID-19 pandemic really showed us all the importance of showing kindness, not only during the difficult times, but also during everyday encounters that we have with patients, colleagues and the community,” shared Hicks. “We continually look for ways to display humankindess in our communities. As a Catholic hospital, one way we can do that is to extend a blessing of encouragement and protection for our EMTs and firefighters as they bring patients to and from our hospital.”

First responders were also treated to lunch and received key chains featuring the patron saint for each profession, St. Florian for firefighters and St. Michael the Archangel for EMTs, and a prayer card that asked for protection and guidance.