Kemp to send National Guard personnel to Phoebe, state hospitals

ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp announced Tuesday the Georgia National Guard, in coordination with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Community Health, will deploy 105 personnel to hospitals throughout the state, including Albany’s Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

Trained medical personnel will assist staff at the following hospitals:

♦ Southeast Georgia Health System, Brunswick

♦ Northeast Georgia Medical Center, Gainesville

♦ Wellstar Kennestone, Marietta

♦ Piedmont Henry, Stockbridge

♦ Phoebe Putney, Albany

♦ Memorial Health University Medical Center, Savannah

♦ Navicent Health, Macon

♦ Grady Hospital, Atlanta

♦ Piedmont Fayette, Fayetteville

♦ Houston Medical Center, Warner Robins

“These Guardsmen will assist our front line health care workers as they provide quality medical care during the current increase in cases and hospitalizations, and I greatly appreciate General (Thomas) Carden and his team for their willingness to answer the call again in our fight against COVID-19,” Kemp said in a news release. “This Georgia National Guard mission is in addition to the 2,800 state-supported staff and 450 new beds brought online I announced last week, at a total state investment of $625 million through December of this year.

“I continue to urge all Georgians to talk to a medical professional about getting vaccinated.”

The news came as officials with the Phoebe Putney Health System marked the end of two days of COVID patient decreases with an uptick in Tuesday numbers. Numbers released by Phoebe Tuesday showed a total of 209 patients at Phoebe facilities in Albany, Americus and Sylvester, a 10-patient increase from the day before. Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany was treating 177 patients on Tuesday, Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus 28, and Phoebe Worth Medical Center in Sylvester 4.

Phoebe facilities have administered a total of 60,055 vaccines.

“With 11 COVID-19 deaths in our health system since Friday, no one should question the severity of this current surge,” Health System President/CEO Scott Steiner said. “Thankfully, we have seen a substantial increase in demand for vaccines over the last couple of weeks, and now that the FDA has given full approval to the Pfizer vaccine, we hope that demand will increase even more. That approval should give anyone who has been hesitant to get vaccinated, full confidence in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine.

“Unfortunately, only 36% of Dougherty County residents are fully vaccinated, and that simply is not enough. We must dramatically increase that percentage if we hope to put an end to the pandemic. We fully support the new ‘Strive for 75’ community initiative, aimed at reaching a 75% vaccination rate in Dougherty County in 75 days. We encourage every unvaccinated citizen to do your part, reconsider and get the shot.”

Anyone can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment at Phoebe clinics throughout southwest Georgia by calling (229) 312-MYMD.

File Photo: Tom Seegmueller