August 2007The memories are individual and indelible. CEO David Seagraves remembers slogging on foot through rain and debris to get to Sumter Regional Hospital in Americus the night it was struck by a tornado. The shock hit Seagraves when he realized that he could see the whole building.
"Before [the tornado], you couldn't get a clear view of the entrance, because of the oak trees," he said. "The trees were all down, and the white strobe lights from the alarm system were blinking in unison from the windows against a blacked-out city. That was a creepy sight." ... more
Coming off jury duty late one afternoon, M. Sharon Smith returned to work at Tranquility, WellStar Community Hospice's 18-bed inpatient facility.
"There were holiday decorations up and the smell of spiced cider coming from the family-room kitchen. One of the volunteers had brought a harp and was playing for the patients," said Smith, Ed.D., director of hospice development. "It was like I had come home, and I realized that this is exactly what we had envisioned when we built Tranquility -- that it would be like a home for the people who came to spend their last days here." ... more
Some men are uncomfortable working around women and babies all the time. Greg Williams, a neonatal intensive-care nurse at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta, thrives on it.
Nursing is not only what he always wanted to do, but it's also a source of great material for his other job as a standup comedian ... more