Representative Gerald Greene requested assistance from Governor Brian Kemp to help with the Cuthbert hospital and nursing home. Representative Greene was notified of an emergency situation at the hospital and nursing home on Friday by Scott Steiner, CEO at Phoebe Hospital. Greene, working with Governor Kemp, Public Health officials in Atlanta, The National Guard, Homeland Security, Phoebe Hospital and Mayor Steve Whatley was able to meet the crisis quickly. Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center (SGRMC) in Cuthbert is currently on diversion for inpatient admissions and ambulance traffic due to available staffing.
Five patients in the hospital were transferred to Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany Friday. “The emergency center at SGRMC remains operational in order to stabilize and treat on an outpatient basis. Temporarily, anyone who needs to be admitted will be transferred to another appropriate hospital,” said Kim Gilman, SGRMC Chief Executive Officer. Phoebe has provided emergency staffing, supplies and COVID-19 testing for SGRMC and the adjacent Joe-Anne Burgin Nursing Home to assist the facilities during the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Late Friday, Phoebe provided rapid COVID-19 tests for all residents at the nursing home after a few began showing symptoms. “Early this morning, we received a number of positive results of asymptomatic residents and immediately worked to relocate those testing negative to another part of the facility. To ensure the safety of our staff members and residents, we have a special unit from the National Guard onsite to clean and disinfect the entire facility,” Gilman said.
With several employees unable to work while they self-isolate at home, staffing became a critical issue. “We don’t have a large staff, so even losing a few team members has a major impact on our operations. Thankfully, Phoebe has stepped in to ensure we have physicians in our emergency center and appropriate nursing coverage for the nursing home,” Gilman said.
Greene stated, “I want to publicly thank Governor Kemp for his quick response to our citizens. I have worked with many Governors during a crisis situation, but Governor Kemp is focused on the plight of our area and State, and is providing strong leadership under intense pressure from the Emergency crisis. I also want to thank Scott Steiner CEO at Phoebe Putney hospital for his leader ship and vital help in putting forth a plan by Saturday.
The well-being of our Citizens is always foremost in any emergency environment.” As a reminder, visitation restrictions remain in place to protect residents and their families. “The health and safety of our residents and staff is our top priority. Therefore, during this unprecedented time, we are taking extra precautions such as suspending visitation (with certain exceptions for end-of-life care), cleaning/disinfecting surfaces multiple times a day, and following all proper isolation protocol.
We are in daily communication with the Georgia Department of Public Health(DPH) and continue to carefully monitor both DPH and CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines as they are updated,” Gilman said. While Phoebe does not own either facility, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital has an agreement with the Randolph County Hospital Authority to help manage the hospital and nursing home in Cuthbert.
For updated information on COVID-19, visit www.phoebehealth.com/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov.