About The times. (Gainesville, Ga.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (March 20, 2020)
LOCAL The Times, Gainesville, Georgia | gainesvilletimes.com Friday, March 20, 2020 7A Photos by SCOTT ROGERS I The Times Dr. Mohak Dave, chief of emergency medicine at the Northeast Georgia Medical Center explains the x-ray machine Thursday, March 19, inside the hospital’s new COVID-19 Mobile Unit which will open on Friday. Northeast Georgia Medical Center Nurse Manager Leah Wallace prepares the hospital’s new COVID-19 Mobile Unit Thursday, March 19, for a Friday opening. HOSPITAL ■ Continued from 1A social distancing whatever you want to call it,” NGHS spokesman Sean Couch said. “This is our window of time ... to really follow these directions for care and isolation. If we can achieve that together, we can ... hopefully prevent us moving to a case where our health sys tems are over whelmed. If we move to that point, unfortu nately our care givers are going to be faced with making difficult decisions about who receives care.” The health system has erected mobile units at the Gainesville and Braselton hospi tals, adding capacity of 13 spaces at each hospital. That’s in addition to 84 beds and 15 hallway spaces at the Gaines ville hospital and 21 beds and 10 to 12 hallway spaces at Braselton, according to Angela Gary, execu tive director of trauma and emer gency services. Dr. Mohak Dave, chief of emer gency medicine at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, said the health system must adapt to changing conditions, which means how they use the space may change. For now, the plan is to use it for those presenting with respiratory conditions in order to prevent exposure of other patients and staff. The units should go live Friday, March 20, though Couch said late Thursday the Gainesville unit may be delayed. Crews continue to work to get it operational, he said. “Higher acuity patients will still be triaged and cared for in the appropriate set ting,” Dave said. He also noted that “staff safety is paramount.” Before health care profession als take care of a patient, they need to ask themselves, “Are you your self safe? Is the scene safe?” Dave said. Dr. J. Clifton Hastings, chief of staff, said he has found “that the medical staff has been willing to step up and partici pate ... in ways many of us haven’t done before.” He and Dave recognized doc tors, nurses and other health care professionals for their efforts. “The bottom line is ... our strength will be shown ultimately in our ability to come together and manage and work through this cri sis,” Hastings said. “I’m proud of what we’ve done so far.” ‘The bottom line is ... our strength will be shown ultimately in our ability to come together and manage and work through this crisis.’ Dr. J. Clifton Hastings chief of staff, NGMC STATE ■ Continued from 1A In Atlanta, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms on Thursday ordered all bars, gyms, movie theaters and other gathering spots to close. Her executive order also limits res taurants to takeout and delivery orders. Fulton County has reported 66 coronavirus infections, the most of any county in the state. In southwest Georgia, officials in Albany and surrounding Dough erty County announced similar restrictions will take effect Friday and last at least a week. With four deaths and 20 confirmed infec tions, it’s one of Georgia’s hardest hit communities outside metro Atlanta. Bars, theaters and bowling alleys will be closed across Dough erty County. Grocery stores and other retailers must limit occu pancy to 50 or fewer people at a time. Churches will be shuttered except for funerals and people will be barred from gatherings of 10 or more. And anyone confirmed to be infected or awaiting a test result will face misdemeanor charges if caught breaking quarantine. “This is a very serious, serious matter,” said Chris Cohilas, chair man of the Dougherty County Commission. “We have seen already in this community how much this disease has been spread at gatherings at funerals and at church. And we cannot afford to be attacked anymore by that.” Phoebe Putney Memorial Hos pital in Albany reported four total deaths Thursday. They included a person who died from cardiac arrest en route to the hospital and later tested positive for the virus, said Dr. Steven Kitchen, the hospi tal’s chief medical officer. Kitchen told a news conference that 24 of the hospital’s 38 inten sive-care beds were occupied with people who have tested positive for COVID-19 or are awaiting test results. He said more than 600 peo ple in the area, the vast majority of them well enough to remain home, are awaiting test results. “Most people seem to be expe riencing rather mild symptoms at this point,” Kitchen said. In northern Georgia, Floyd County Coroner Gene Proctor said a 65-year-old Rome woman had died from respiratory failure and complications tied to COVID-19, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. He said she was a mem ber of a Cartersville church linked to other cases. Georgia has opened 13 drive- thru locations for coronavirus testing and plans more. Kemp cau tioned that priority for tests was being given to those at highest risk — the elderly, people who already have chronic illnesses, those in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities and first responders such as paramedics. Meanwhile, state Sen. Brandon Beach, an Alpharetta Republican, announced he had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, which causes the respiratory illness. Georgia’s 235 other representatives and sen ators, plus legislative employees, are being recommended to self quarantine through March 30. Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a Republican who presides over the state Sen ate, said he is staying home. The General Assembly has sus pended its regular session because of the coronavirus outbreak. State officials hired a cleaning crew to sanitize the state Senate cham ber, Beach’s legislative office and building entrances that Beach’s electronic access card shows he used, said Gerald Pilgrim, chief of staff for the Georgia Building Authority. MICHAEL HOLAHAN I Associated Press Coronavirus test kits at the drive up test facility in Augusta, Wednesday, March 18. s A/’^A e °u, HOLD YOUR TICKET NEW DATE Michael Comb$ JULY 10 # 2020 7:30 PM The Venue at Friendship Springs Purchase your Tickets at: gainesvilletimes.com/michaelcombs
