Fountain Valley Regional Hospital Halloween parade provides treat of ‘normalcy’
The roundabout in front of Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center encountered the spirit of Halloween on Friday morning, alight with the glow of smiling children.
Pediatric patients, hospital staff and their children took in the sights and sounds of the 14th annual Pediatric Trick-Or-Treat Parade, which was held in drive-through style.
Community members, including Mayor Cheryl Brothers and Councilman Patrick Harper, rode in cars to kick off the parade, followed by the city’s police and fire departments, whose vehicles provided a light show for the attendees.
Both children and adults dressed in costume for the festive occasion, including several coordinated efforts. Hospital administration showed up with a disco theme. Kenneth McFarland, the chief executive officer of the hospital, wore a sparkling gold jacket coupled with a pair of groovy sunglasses.
“I’m humbled, and I’m just completely blown away by the response by the community, the response by our caregivers and the showing that we had of all these little ones that first know this as home when they were born here at this hospital,” McFarland said.
Another coordinated costume came from members of the cancer unit, who brought customized umbrellas to look like jellyfish.
“This year, we figured umbrellas would help with social distancing, keep us distanced from each other,” Mala Watts, 36, of Huntington Beach said. “It lets us be creative. We’re jellyfish bloom. That’s what they call a whole cluster of jellyfish.”
Activities tables at the event allowed children to vote for their favorite pumpkin design by hospital staff. Children also received coloring books and goody bags.
Adrienne Feilden, a child life specialist who helps organize the parade, said that providing a sense of normalcy is exactly why the event became a hit.
“The reason it’s become such a big event and so fun for everybody is that it started off as we really just want to normalize the holiday for the kids in the hospital,” Feilden said. “What’s great is everyone gets involved. I think what was great about this year is that even though there were some amendments that needed to happen, it was a form of normalcy for everybody, so it kind of kicks off the holidays still.”
Prior to the parade, Kandice Smith saw her twins get the party started. Though just 18 months old, Ryan and River, dressed up as Indians, danced around in the parking lot without the aid of music.
“They love dancing,” Smith, 37, of Long Beach said. “They love people and the energy, and they’ll go up to anyone, which is so awesome. It’s so funny. They’re at the point where they’re starting to recognize each other, and so they’ll dance with each other.”
Smith said that they were invited to the parade by Dana Starr, who works in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Starr proudly introduced Ryan as “a NICU graduate” while holding her in her arms after the parade.
Also involved in the parade were a couple of Republic Services vehicles. A skeleton pushing a blue trash can in the back of a pickup truck served as a friendly reminder to recycle.
Miss Fountain Valley princess Helen Reynolds waved to the crowd from a convertible and said she enjoyed seeing the children in their Halloween costumes.
“It was so heartwarming to see all the adorable children in their COVID-friendly costumes today,” said Reynolds, who starred in basketball and volleyball at Ocean View High School. “It really shows that even in these circumstances, Halloween isn’t canceled, as long as we are being safe and smart. I’m so glad I was able to be there today.”
The Orange County Health Care Agency reported seven coronavirus deaths and 276 new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, in Friday’s numbers.
Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been 1,475 lives lost in the county because of the virus and 59,718 cases.
Hospitalizations due to the virus were at 182, with 61 of those patients in intensive care.
There were 7,189 tests reported within the last day, as the cumulative tests administered rose to 1,098,630. Approximately 53,265 people in the county have recovered after contracting the virus.
Here are the latest cumulative coronavirus case counts and COVID-19 deaths for select cities in Orange County:
- Santa Ana: 11,516 cases; 315 deaths
- Anaheim: 10,204 cases; 316 deaths
- Huntington Beach: 2,617 cases; 86 deaths
- Costa Mesa: 2,029 cases; 44 deaths
- Irvine: 1,907 cases; 13 deaths
- Newport Beach: 1,242 cases; 26 deaths
- Fountain Valley: 572 cases; 20 deaths
- Laguna Beach: 252 cases; fewer than five deaths
Here are the case counts by age group, followed by deaths:
- 0 to 17: 4,441 cases; one death
- 18 to 24: 8,946 cases; five deaths
- 25 to 34: 12,831 cases; 21 deaths
- 35 to 44: 9,502 cases; 38 deaths
- 45 to 54: 9,615 cases; 114 deaths
- 55 to 64: 7,178 cases; 205 deaths
- 65 to 74: 3,613 cases; 290 deaths
- 75 to 84: 1,985 cases; 320 deaths
- 85 and older: 1,560 cases; 481 deaths
Updated figures are posted daily at occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/coronavirus-in-oc. For information on getting tested, visit occovid19.ochealthinfo.com/covid-19-testing.
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