GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. — COVID-19 has been a long, uphill battle for health care workers.
“It was very trying, very sorrowful, and something I don’t think any of us will get over. However, it is nice to be standing here today to say ‘look we’re still here, and we’re still standing.’ It has definitely been a lot.” interim ICU manager Christy Love stated.
She and Jan Jones are both nurses at Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick.
Doctors and nurses at the system’s Brunswick and Camden County campuses finally have some reprieve. For the first time since April 2020, there are no COVID-positive patients.
“It was certainly a learning experience. I think that it’s nice that we’ve got literally a breather now that we have zero COVID, and yesterday was the first day that the whole system had zero,” Director for Patient Care Services Jan Jones said.
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Love says the hospital peaked when health care workers were treating 76 COVID patients at the Brunswick campus.
Jones and Love both agree it’s nice to have a break for now, but they do expect more surges and cases at the hospital.
“I think we’re very prepared to take that on if we need to,” Jones added.
Love says a big challenge now is building the nursing field back up.
“There’s not enough of us. There are not enough specialty-trained nurses, if you will, that can just jump in,” she said.
“(If) anything, this has shown us we need to take care of our nurses, we need to educate, and we need to make sure that everybody’s prepared for the next what-ifs; and if it’s not COVID, what could it be?” she stated.
Jones and Love say COVID isn’t over, but they hope they’ve seen the worst for now.
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