Santa Claus Parade: more than 1200 children transported by paramedic teams over the years
MONTREAL, Nov. 25, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, for the 25th time, Urgences-santé employees and pre-hospital emergency care students joined forces to offer a magical Christmas to young patients at Montreal's children's hospitals.
As in the first mobilization in 1996, the children gathered in Phillips Square in the space reserved for Urgences-santé with family members, mascot Rescousse and representatives of Corporation Urgences-santé's honour guard.
A tradition to be perpetuated for a long time to come
"For 25 years now, we have been working together to offer a magical Christmas to the young patients at children's facilities in Montreal. We have made it possible for 1200 children, some of whom rarely get out of the hospital, to attend the legendary Santa Claus parade 
. Spreading happiness is a tradition we hope to continue for a long time to come," said François Charpentier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Urgences-santé.
Tears of joy in little Zen-Luka's mom's eyes
"I am so grateful and moved to have the opportunity to participate in this Urgences-santé initiative. Seeing the wonder in my son Zen-Luka's eyes brings me immense joy. When he was very small, he went through a major operation that saved his life. That is why today we are taking full advantage of every minute of happiness that is offered to us," said Samantha Zimmerman, mother of 7-year-old Zen-Lukas, who underwent brain surgery at the Montreal Children's Hospital.
Thousands of volunteers mobilized over the years
Once again this year, more than 100 pre-hospital emergency care students and staff volunteered to spoil over 50 children from five institutions at the 71st edition of the Santa Claus Parade in the space reserved exclusively for Urgences-santé.
"Without the volunteers, especially the paramedics, it would be impossible to transport these children to the parade. It gives meaning to what we do every day. It's an unforgettable experience for us and for the little ones," acknowledged the President and CEO of Urgences-santé.
Hospitals: valuable partners
This event was organized in partnership with Montréal centre-ville , the Santa Claus parade promoter, as well as the Centre hospitalier universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal Children's Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Centre and Le Phare Enfants et Familles. The success of such an event, which requires a great deal of logistics and planning, would not be possible without the invaluable collaboration of hospital staff.
About Urgences-santé
Corporation d'urgences-santé, which reports to the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, is the largest ambulance service organization in Quebec. It employs close to 1700 people, including more than 1100 paramedics and over 110 emergency medical dispatchers, who serve the residents of Montreal and Laval (2.5 million people).
Our spokesperson is available for interviews.
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