PARKER, Colo. (KDVR) — Hospital workers in Douglas County got a much needed break from the stress of their jobs Thursday.
It was dubbed “Operation Rolling Thunder” and they made quite an entrance Parker Adventist Hospital, escorted by Douglas County sheriff’s deputies, Parker police and Castle Rock police.
Jim Mundle owns Overdrive Raceway in Colorado Springs. He told the health care workers, “We want to know how much you all are appreciated.”
He visited four Douglas County hospitals, with his race cars as well as gift baskets with goodies donated from the community.
Mundle said, “I think it’s really important right now to look at the frontline workers working every day and believe me, it’s a tough job. They like to see the cars, they like the baskets. They like to be appreciated and we really have a lot to be appreciative for. We need to go out of our way to thank them.”
Doctors, nurses and staff had a chance to sit in the Lamborghini and take pictures. But more importantly, they got to just take a break.
“I think it just gives them a diversion and a chance to think about something other things, maybe a more normal life than we have faced for several weeks now and taking care of very sick patients.” Parker Adventist Hospital CEO Mike Goebel said, adding, “To put a smile on their face and give them a quick break from this is what we wanted to try to do, and I think we’ve succeeded there.”
Mundle plans to reopen Overdrive Raceway in Colorado Springs on Friday. He says it will provide some much-needed fun and entertainment.
“I think it’s essential to be able to get people’s minds in the right place and it makes very good therapy to have adrenaline and competition and fun and see people laugh,” he said.
Mundle says he will follow all the guidelines and make it as safe as possible, because he doesn’t want to make health care workers’ jobs any harder.