Phoebe names latest DAISY Award recipient
Good News: Phoebe names latest DAISY Award recipient By WALB News Team | December 23, 2020 at 5:54 PM EST - Updated December 23 at 7:10 PM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital recently announced its latest DAISY Award winner.
Dario Espiritu was honored as that recipient.
The DAISY Award is an international program that rewards and celebrates the extraordinary clinical skills and compassionate care given by nurses every day.
Originally from the Philippines, Espiritu joined Phoebe in July 2019 as part of Phoebe’s International Nurse Program.
“I am just so happy to be here at Phoebe and doing what I love. I feel at home here,” he said.
A Jackson Healthcare unit can get up to $68 million more to supply nurses and other health care workers to help hospitals and nursing homes deal with the COVID surge, under a state contract extension.
The Alpharetta-based company received a no-bid contract early in the pandemic for staffing. That original contract could extend to $250 million by the end of this year.
With the extension, the total that the Jackson Healthcare unit can receive could exceed $300 million.
The new agreement would extend the contract till March 6.
The firm, whose political connections have led to some criticism of the contract, has worked with more than 50 Georgia hospitals to help augment their workforces.
Grant Blankenship/GPB
Caption Dr. James Black, head of emergency medicine at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Ga, was the first to receive the COVID-19 vaccine Thursday in the city that was once among the most severely affected pandemic hotspots in the world. Credit: Grant Blankenship/GPB
The Georgia city that was once one of the most severely affected COVID-19 hotspots in the world received its first virus vaccinations Thursday.
While officials at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany say that’s an obvious reason for hope, they know convincing the community to get the vaccine will be a challenge.
Phoebe administers first COVID-19 vaccine
Phoebe administers first COVID-19 vaccine By WALB News Team | December 17, 2020 at 5:25 PM EST - Updated December 17 at 7:26 PM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital administered its first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to frontline healthcare workers Thursday afternoon, just hours after the shipments arrived at two of its hospitals, according to hospital officials.
Dr. James Black, Phoebe medical director of emergency services, was the first to receive his vaccination.
“You really don’t feel it. You would feel the initial stick from the needle, but you didn’t feel, I didn’t feel the vaccine going in. It wasn’t cold. She took it directly out of the cooler and withdrew it into the syringe and then injected it, but no it wasn’t uncomfortable at all, no more than any other vaccination,” said Black.
Phoebe facilities prepare for coronavirus vaccine
Phoebe facilities prepare for coronavirus vaccine By Bobby Poitevint | December 16, 2020 at 11:28 PM EST - Updated December 17 at 12:06 AM
ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany believes it will start vaccinating employees for the COVID-19 virus on Thursday.
Phoebe’s facilities in Worth and Sumter counties are on the list to get the vaccine as well.
Phoebe Putney Health System CEO Scott Steiner said all of their facilities, including those in Worth and Sumter counties, can distribute the highly anticipated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine once it arrives. Scott Steiner (Source: WALB)
“We’re ready to go right now,” said Steiner. “We’ve been given no guarantees with what we’ve ordered is arriving but we have reason to believe we’re going to get that 1,000 for Worth and 5,000 for Dougherty County and then just a day or two behind that, we believe we’ll get the same 2,000 thousand for Sumter.