Lucy Nurses Ball General Hospital
Credit: Image: ABC

Come for the performances, stay for the message.

When you think of General Hospital’s Nurses Ball, you probably summon up images of your favorite Port Charles residents taking to the stage. But ever since the event’s 1994 inception, the Ball — as well as hostess Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring) — has served an important purpose. Because when not coercing (and occasionally blackmailing) locals into sharing their hidden talents, Lucy has shone a spotlight on and raised money for HIV and AIDS research.

It’s probably a good thing that for many viewers, this is the only time of the year they even think about HIV/AIDS. After all, we’ve come a very long way since the height of the epidemic, which, when the Nurses Ball launched, was listed as the leading cause of death in Americans between the ages of 25 and 44.

Need proof of how much progress has been made? Look no further than Robin Scorpio-Drake (played by Kimberly Anne McCullough), who went from believing her diagnosis was the equivalent of a death sentence to becoming a wife and two-time mommy. She may be a fictional character, but her story is being lived every day by millions of very real people.

Yet it’s important to remember that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS, which is why GH’s annual fete remains so important. If the soap manages to inspire one viewer — let alone droves of them — to donate money to the cause, it is well worth the effort put forth by the cast and crew, who go to extraordinary lengths to bring the Nurses Ball to life.

That said, we can’t for the life of us understand why GH has not used its fictional fundraiser to raise actual money. How difficult would it be to have the cast record PSAs, which could air after each Nurses Ball-centric episode, providing viewers with information on how to donate. (In fact, let us show you exactly how easy it is by saying — click here!)

Here’s hoping that while we’re happily reliving some of our favorite Nurses Ball moments via the upcoming reruns, someone behind the scenes at GH decides to take our suggestion and run with it. Something tells us Lucy would definitely approve!

Before you go, check out photos from the 2019 General Hospital Nurses Ball.