Hundreds of hospital workers rallied together at Southside Hospital in Bay Shore Tuesday morning.
The "Day of Hope" started at 7:30 a.m. and was geared towards lifting the spirits of emotionally drained staff who are working around the clock because of the pandemic.
Southside Hospital is serving one of the hardest hit areas on Long Island, and currently has 280 patients they are treating for COVID-19.
At Tuesday's rally, a Southside nurse spoke and shared her story to motivate others. Nurse Barbara Regan was diagnosed with coronavirus last month. She vowed to return and help patients once she beat it, but instead of her old job working in outpatient pain management, she's serving in ICU.
The nurse was joined by Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone, President of Northwell Health Michael Dowling and a Southside emergency department nurse who created t-shirts for staff that celebrate hope.