PITTSBURGH — Staff at the Pittsburgh hospital that inspired the Emmy-winning medical drama "The Pitt" received a thank you from HBO Max ahead of the release of the show's second season.

On Tuesday morning, a black coffee truck — outfitted with gold-colored graphics for the show — served La Colombe coffee and pastries to Allegheny General Hospital employees. The truck was parked just outside of the emergency department, where workers lined up before heading back into the hospital for their shifts.

The event was labeled a "special thank you" to the hospital's staff for their "invaluable" service to the community, according to a Monday press release from Allegheny Health Network. AGH worked closely with "The Pitt" when it filmed in Pittsburgh in September and serves as the backdrop for the show's fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center.

Dr. Brent Rau, emergency department medical director at AGH, said the recognition emergency medicine has garnered as a result of "The Pitt" is "invaluable."

"I think it does a very good job — probably more than other shows I've seen — of not just being medically accurate, but also showing the human side and the emotion around it," Dr. Rau said.

Dr. Rau's position at AGH is similar to that of lead actor Noah Wyle's character Dr. Michael "Robby" Robinavitch. Dr. Rau, who some coworkers have dubbed "Dr. Raubby," is impressed with the character's relatability.

"It also did a good job of showing that [the job] can take a toll on him too, as he starts to break down throughout the end of the season," he said.

"The Pitt" also touches on the violence faced by emergency room workers, when, in Season 1, Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center's head nurse, played by Dana Evans, is punched by an angry patient. This and other high-pressure situations in the environment are accurately represented, said AGH director of emergency services Kathy Sikora.

Mrs. Sikora expects to see more of this representation as audiences gear up to watch the first episode of Season 2 this Thursday.

"It actually shows the organized chaos that happens within [our] department," she said. "In that, we are keenly teed up to do really do phenomenal work."

Dr. Rau said he appreciates the collaboration between HBO Max and AGH for broadcasting the stories of emergency room physicians to a wide audience.

"They're in [Los Angeles] right now, but they're still thinking of us, clearly, if they're sending free coffee on a cold morning," he said. "So we really appreciate that as well."

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