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Vol. 141, No. 22 - Waynesboro, Ga. 30830
Established in 1882
Wednesday, July 21,2021 - $1.00
Fighting for
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
Editor’s Note: This is part
2 in a 3-part series about real
life COVID-19 experiences.
According to the Georgia De
partment of Public Health, as
of July 19, only 33% of Burke
County is fully vaccinated.
Hosie Neal, 87, contracted
COVID-19 last August. She
was sick enough that her son
called an ambulance. She
suffered a cough, fever and
extreme fatigue. A test the
week before confirmed she
was positive for the virus.
“Instead of getting better, I
was getting worse,” she said.
It was over a month before
she returned home from the
ambulance ride. She said she
felt like she was fighting for
her life during the hospital
stay.
“I had never been that sick
in my life,” she said. Hosie
had a pacemaker placed in
her chest prior to contracting
the virus and still feels COV-
ID-19 was the hardest illness
your life against COVID
she has ever faced. Doctors
feared she would never return
to a normal oxygen saturation
level. For the first time in her
life, she was unable to feed
herself or walk.
Hosie’s inability to get out
of bed caused her leg muscles
to weaken. She had to learn
how to walk once again.
“She had lost all of her
strength in her legs,” her son
Bruce Neal said. “She had
to be rehabilitated to get her
strength back.”
Almost a year later, her
legs have not made a total
comeback. She also suffers
from memory loss. She lost a
lot of her hair.
“I’m getting it back slow
ly,” she said of her pre-pan
demic health.
Bruce, 47, also contracted
the virus. In December 2020,
he and his wife tested posi
tive. Bruce also started out
suffering from a cough that
progressed into something
worse.
“It had to take
its course,” he ®EE
said. “It got pret- COVID,
tybad.” 3
Hosie and Bruce Neal both say they would never again want
to experience the sickness they felt battling the Coronavirus.
Superheroes Wonder Woman, Spiderman and Black Panther showed up July 17 to
meet and greet Soul Bean Coffeehouse patrons. Hired through Fairytale Dreams, the
event was sponsored by the Vineyard Church. A similar event is planned for August
14 at which guests can have their photos taken with storybook princesses.
Supply chain backlogs are holding up the completion of the
Shadrack St. construction project.
Pandemic delays
Shadrack Street project
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
COVID-related backorders
of materials are slowing
down the completion of the
Shadrack St. project.
“As of right now the hold
up is our supply chain,” said
Water Superintendent Jody
Ellison who is also acting as
Director of Public Works after
the resignation of Robert Sea
mans. “We have a projected
date but (the pipe) has not
showed up yet.”
Scheduled for delivery be
ginning July 19, the pipe
will arrive two pieces per
truckload.
“It’s going to take a little
while to get it all here,” El
lison said during the Utilities
Committee meeting July 12.
The city intends to develop
a new goal for completion of
the project this week.
Ellison pointed out that
during the course of repair
ing Shadrack St., new issues
were found. Deteriorating
pipes need to be replaced
beginning from behind KJ’s
Market and extending over
to Academy Ave.
“The pipe is so deterio
rated, it is caving in a couple
of places,” Ellison said.
The material shortage is
affecting the new project
before it even begins. The
city is unable to formulate an
estimate of the materials that
are backlogged while they try
to figure out what it would
cost to complete the project
in-house.
“If I ordered pipe today,
right now, it is a
& SEE
minimum of 12
weeks delivery DELAY,
time,” Ellison 3
Hospital CEO
SHELLIE SMITLEY
thetruecitizen.shellie@gmail.com
CEO Michael Hester said
growing Burke Medical Cen
ter means building trust over
time.
Hester pointed out that the
last economic report conduct
ed by the Georgia Hospital
Association indicated that
the rural hospital has a $32
million impact on the region
and local economy. Burke
Hospital Company’s (BHC)
goal is to triple that figure
within a few years. Growing
the surgical volume will take
time.
“Growing volume means
adding jobs,” he said. “Burke
is the center. We will take care
of this community but also
provide support regionally.
We will be pulling patients
from surrounding counties
and performing surgeries
here.”
The increased medical flow
will bring in more customers
for local businesses in the
restaurant, motel and retail
industries.
begins the journey of growth
“It will hopefully bring in
more tax revenue and expo
sure to Burke County,” Hester
said and pointed out that he
previously oversaw a 5-star
medical facility. “That is what
we want to do here.”
Hester said he has heard
concerns that once surgical
specialists begin using the
facility that there will not
be medical beds available.
That is a rumor he adamantly
denies. Providing an emer
gency room and the avail
ability of acute care beds
will not change, he said. The
surgical in-patient stays will
not occupy the census that
in-patients hold. People are
concerned that an increase
in surgical procedures will
limit the availability of beds
for patients admitted through
the ER.
“First of all, we want to
make sure that we continue
to provide the services that
the hospital has always had,”
he said. “The changes and
advancements
in surgical pro- SEE
cedures, such as HOSPITAL,
hip replacement, 7
Burke Medical Center’s new CEO Mike Hester shakes hands
with Commissioner Evans Martin July 13 as he introduces
himself to the board. Hester told the panel he is looking
forward to attending BCHS football games.
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