District 2 Public Health in Gainesville has received nearly 1,000 doses of the coronavirus vaccine and will begin vaccinating emergency medical personel on Monday as the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Northeast Georgia hit another record.
A clinic for emergency personnel will be held Monday and Tuesday. The clinic requires appointments and will open each day at 8 a.m. It will be held at Chicopee Woods Agricultural Center at 1855 Calvary Church Road. The site was chosen because parking and access to the health department in limited.
“Following the Georgia Department of Public Health’s vaccination plan and recommendations from the Centers for Disease and Control to first vaccinate frontline healthcare workers, public health is excited to begin this phase of the coronavirus response, said Dr. Zachary Taylor, director of Distict 2 Public Health.
NGHS is now offering nearly 5,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to frontline staff and physicians. Author: Donesha Aldridge (11Alive) Updated: 11:42 PM EST December 17, 2020
GAINESVILLE, Ga. It s been months in the making and now health care workers from different parts of the state are getting the chance to take the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
The Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville received a shipment Thursday morning. During the evening, the Northeast Georgia Health System said seven frontline workers were vaccinated.
“It feels like Christmas came early,” said Carol Burrell, NGHS president and CEO. “It’s been a long eight months for our organization and our community, as we continue to see record numbers of COVID patients. We still have a long journey ahead of us, but simply having a vaccine in our hands is a tremendous and positive step forward.”
Beginning to an end of a pandemic - Northeast Georgia Health System begins administering COVID-19 vaccines to staff Staff members at Northeast Georgia Medical Center show off their arms after receiving the first round of COVID-19 vaccinations Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020. - photo by Nick Watson
Seven Northeast Georgia Health System frontline health care workers pulled up their sleeves Thursday, Dec. 17, and flexed after receiving the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. John Delzell, the incident commander at the health system, said he sees these first doses as “hope for the light at the end of the tunnel.”
“I feel like it’s the beginning to an end of a pandemic,” said Tamika Johnson, the charge nurse in the mobile medical unit who received one of the first doses.
Alyson Shields
Santa and Mrs. Claus know the pandemic has changed Christmas for many this season, so they planned to make an early stop at Northeast Georgia Medical Center – Gainesville’s pediatric unit.
Husband and wife team Bill and Terrilynn Donohue began wishing children’s wards in hospitals a merry Christmas and happy holidays after personally understanding the struggle of having an ill child during the holidays.
“14 years ago, our oldest son died of bone cancer. He was in a children’s hospital in Jacksonville, Fla. and through that experience we realized Christmas, Easter, other celebrations come and children are in the hospital,” said Bill Donohue. “We started getting involved with Christmas gifts at the hospital and continued that now for the last 14 years.”
The Barrow, Braselton and Gainesville campuses of Northeast Georgia Medical Center were recently certified as Primary Stroke Centers by DNV GL Healthcare.
NGMC Gainesville earned recertification as a Primary Stroke Center, while NGMC Barrow and Braselton were certified for the first time. Prior to being certified as Primary Stroke Centers, the Barrow and Braselton campuses were designated Remote Treatment Stroke Centers by the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Primary Stroke Center certification means that a hospital can provide treatment and therapy to a broad range of stroke conditions and admit patients to a designated stroke unit specifically assigned for stroke care. Primary Stroke Centers also act as a resource center for other facilities in the region, serving as a main transfer site for stabilized stroke patients.