Name: 'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spot
Brand: wjcl.com
SKU: wjcl-com-6
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spot

preview

AdvertisementHe’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus. “I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday."'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spotHe’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus. “I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday."Hide TranscriptShow TranscriptBLUE TIDE AND HE WILL BE HITTING THE BOOKS AND GRIDIRON AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MOUNT UNION. THAT'S A LOOK AT SPORTS. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK. CUMMINGS: "HIS WORDS EVERYDAY, IF HE SEE YOU TODAY OR TOMORROW, IT' ALWAYS I LOVE YOU. THEY TOOK THAT AWAY FROM HIM." FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS -- DEMANDING JUSTICE AFTER -- THEY SAY -- A MAN WAS UNJUSTLY SHOT TO DEATH WHILE JOGGING IN GLYNN COUNTY. THIS MORNING -- THE LATEST ON THE CASE THAT'S GETTING NATIONAL ATTENTION. IT'S ABOUT TO GET EASIER TO GET TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS MORNING -- WE'RE LIVE WITH WHERE YOU CAN GO STARTING TODAY. PLUS... BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOLS ARE PLANNING A UNIQUE APPROACH FOR GRADUATION THIS YEAR. IT'S 6 O'CLOCK ON YOUR WEDNESDAY MORNING. HERE'S YOUR CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE FORECAST WITH METEOROLOGIST JONATHAN MYERS NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... WEDNESDAY PARTLY SUNNY, THEN GRADUALLY BECOMING SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 82. NORTHWEST WIND 8 TO 15 MPH. WEDNESDAY NIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 52. NORTH WIND 11 TO 15 MPH. THURSDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 74. NORTHWEST WIND 9 TO 11 MPH. THURSDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 50. WEST WIND AROUND 5 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING NOW, HERE'S YOUR STORM TRACKER RADAR... WEDNESDAY PARTLY SUNNY, THEN GRADUALLY BECOMING SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 82. NORTHWEST WIND 8 TO 15 MPH. WEDNESDAY NIGHT MOSTLY CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 52. NORTH WIND 11 TO 15 MPH. THURSDAY SUNNY, WITH A HIGH NEAR 74. NORTHWEST WIND 9 TO 11 MPH. THURSDAY NIGHT CLEAR, WITH A LOW AROUND 50. WEST WIND AROUND 5 MPH BECOMING CALM IN THE EVENING THE NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES - IN GEORGIA - - IS NOW UP TO ALMOST 30- THOUSAND SOUTH CAROLINA... NEARLY SEVEN- THOUSAND. 267 OF GEORGIA'S CASES ARE IN CHATHAM COUNTY... 270 OF SOUTH CAROLINA'S CASES ARE IN BEAUFORT COUNTY... YOU CAN SEE THE NUMBERS FOR OUR OTHER LOCAL COUNTIES ON OUR WEBSITE -- WJCL DOT COM. STARTING TODAY... IT'LL BE EASIER FOR PEOPLE IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA TO GET TESTED FOR CORONAVIRUS... W-J-C-L'S EMMA HAMILTON JOINS US LIVE FROM RICHMOND HILL WHERE A NEW TESTING SITE IS OPENING TODAY. CHRIS ... THE COASTAL HEALTH DISTRICT HAS BEEN WORKING TO EXPAND TESTING IN OUR AREA AND STARTING TODAY ... HERE AT THE EXPER URGENT CARE IN RICHMOND HILL ... PEOPLE CAN GET TESTED FOR FREE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. WEEKS AGO ... VARIOUS SOURCES SAID THE VIRUS WAS PLATEAUING RATHER THAN PEAKING IN OUR AREA AND WHILE THAT COULD STILL BE TRUE ... MOST RECENTLY WE'VE CONTINUED TO SEE AN INCREASE OF THE NUMBER OF CASES HERE IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. HERE AT THE EXPER URGENT CARE IN RICHMOND HILL ... TESTING WILL NOW BE AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT .. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CALL THE COASTAL HEALTH DISTRICT FOR A BRIEF PHONE SCREENING AND YOU CAN MAKE AN APPOINTMENT FROM THERE. ANYONE WITH COVID-19 SYMPTOMS QUALIFIES FOR TESTING AND THOSE WHO ARE WORKING ON THE FRONT LINES OF THE PANDEMIC BUT DON'T HAVE SYMPTOMS CAN ALSO BE TESTED. DIRECTOR OF THE COASTAL HEALTH DISTRICT ... DOCTOR LAWTON DAVIS SAYS RICHMOND HILL WAS THE MOST LOGICAL PLACE TO EXPAND TESTING TO. DOCTOR LAWTON: "RICHMOND HILL SEEMS TO HAVE THE HIGHEST CASE RATE PER HUNDRED THOUSAND OF ANY OF THE COUNTIES IN OUR DISTRICT. SO, THIS SEEMED LIKE A NATURAL LOCATION. IT WILL INCREASE THE AVAILABILITY OF TESTING." DOCTOR DAVIS SAYS ALTHOUGH GEORGIA IS SLOWLY OPENING BACK UP ... WE SHOULD CONTINUE TO PRACTICE GOOD HYGIENE .. WEAR FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC AND KEEP DISTANCE FROM ON ANOTHER. IF YOU NEED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE COASTAL HEALTH DISTRICT ... THEIR PHONE NUMBER IS 9-1-2 ... 2-3-0 ... 9-7-4-4 REPORTING IN RICHMOND HILL ... EMMA HAMILTON, WJCL 22 NEWS. HEALTH LEADERS ARE ALSO OPENING A MOBILE TESTING SITE AT NINE-30 THIS MORNING... AT BLOOMINGDALE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL... YOU DON'T NEED AN APPOINTMENT TO GET TESTED THERE... HEALTH LEADERS PLAN TO OPEN THREE OTHER MOBILE SITES IN CHATHAM COUNTY... LATER THIS MONTH. SAVANNAH TOURISM LEADERS PREDICT IT'LL TAKE THREE YEARS FOR THE CITY'S TOURISM INDUSTRY TO RECOVER FROM THIS PANDEMIC... IT SAYS CORONAVIRUS HAS COST THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY MORE THAN THE NINE- ELEVEN TERROR ATTACKS... AND THE TWO- THOUSAND-EIGHT RECESSSION - - COMBINED... THE LATEST NUMBER FROM GEORGIA'S DEPARTMENT OF LABOR SHOW MORE THAN 22- THOUSAND SAVANNAH HOSPITALITY WORKER FILE FOR UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE PAST MONTH. OWENS: "IT'S BEEN BEYOND DEVASTING, THERE'S NO OTHER WORD TO DESCRIBE WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENED TO THE TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY COMMUNITY. WE'RE KEEPING OUR EYE ON THE THINGS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS OWNER, OR CORPORATE MEMBER IN THE COMMUNITY DOESN'T OTHERWISE HAVE THE TIME TO DO. " TOURISM LEADERS SAY THEY'LL NOW MARKET TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE WITHIN DRIVING DISTANCE OF SAVANNAH... TO HELP JUMP-START SAVANNAH'S ECONOMY. THE CITY OF SAVANNAH IS ESTABLISHING A HOMELESS CAMP TO CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH NO SHELTER DURING THIS PANDEMIC. THE SAVANNAH CITY MANAGER SAYS THE CITY HAS ALREADY CLEARED THE LAND OFF WHEATON STREET, AND NEXT, IT WILL ADD TENTS AND RESTROOMS. MORE THAN A HUNDRED PEOPLE HAVE SIGNED UP TO MOVE IN WHEN IT'S FINISHED. THE CHATHAM- SAVANNAH AUTHORITY FOR THE HOMELESS... SAYS THE SITE IS NEEDED RIGHT NOW. IT SAYS IF ONE PERSON LIVING WITHOUT SHELTER AND LIMITED ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE CATCHES THE VIRUS, IT COULD LEAD TO AN OUTBREAK. KELLEY: "THAT WOULD BE VERY UNFORTUNATE FOR THOSE RESIDENTS. THERE IS A VALUE IN A COMMUNITY IN EMBRACING IF WE HAVE TO HAVE CAMPS... WE CAN AT LEAST ASSURE THE ONES WE HAVE, DO HAVE BASIC SANITARY CONDITIONS." SEXUAL OFFENDERS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON SITE. DRUGS AND ALCOHOL WILL ALSO BE BANNED. THE CITY OF SAVANNAH AIMS TO EVENTUALLY REPLACE THE TENTS WITH SHIPPING CONTAINERS FOR MORE PERMANENT HOUSING. EVEN THOUGH CORONAVIRUS RESTRICTIONS ARE GETTING LIFTED IN GEORGIA, CITY AND STATE LEADERS WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW.... THAT NOW IS áNOT THE TIME TO LET YOUR GUARD DOWN. AT HIS WEEKLY UPDATE, SAVANNAH MAYOR VAN JOHNSON SAID HE WANTS YOU TO KEEP YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES SAFE. JOHNSON: "WE STILL NEED YOU TO PROTECT YOURSELF, PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND PROTECT THOSE YOU LOVE. WE WILL CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE BEST BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO PREPARE FOR THE WORST." THE MAYOR ALSO ANNOUNCED.. SAVANNAH WILL SOON LAUNCH A RESOURCE GUIDE FOR THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. HE SAYS IT'LL HELP FAMILIES QUICKLY FIND ANSWERS TO THEIR QUESTIONS. A POPULAR STATESBORO ENTERTAINMENT VENUE WILL REOPEN ITS DOORS LATER THIS WEEK. THE CLUBHOUSE WILL WELCOME GUESTS AGAIN THIS FRIDAY... WITH PROPER SAFETY MEASURES IN PLACE GUESTS WILL HAVE TEMPERATURE CHECKS AND MANDATORY HAND WASHING. STAFF AND GUESTS WILL WEAR MASKS, AND SOCIAL DISTANCING WILL ALSO BE IN PLACE. VAN TASSELL: "EVERY OTHER LANE WILL BE SET ASIDE FOR FAMILY UNITS, RESIDENTIAL UNITS, SOME FOLKS THAT AREN'T HAVING TO SOCIAL DISTANCE BECAUSE THEY LIVE TOGETHER, WE'RE GOING TO SANITIZE ALL THE LANES, ALL THE BOWLING BALLS AFTER EACH USE, WE'VE ALWAYS DONE THE SHOES THAT WAY." MINIATURE GOLF AND IN-HOUSE DINING WILL ALSO REOPEN FRIDAY. BUT OTHER ATTRACTIONS WILL REMAIN CLOSED UNTIL A LATER DATE. THIS MORNING - THE BEAUFORT COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT IS PLANNING A CREATIVE APPROACH FOR GRADUATION CEREMONIES -- FOR ITS STUDENTS. WJCL'S DANIEL ROBINSON - JOINS US NOW FROM THE LOWCOUNTRY WITH WHAT STUDENTS AND PARENTS CAN LOOK FORWARD TO - DANIEL? CHRIS - GOOD MORNING. THE DISTRICT IS COMBINING VIDEOS AND CELEBRATIONS -- TO HELP GIVE STUDENTS ONE FINAL SEND OFF. DUE TO COVID-19 - GRADUATION CEREMONIES AREN'T BEING ABLE TO TAKE PLACE LIKE THEY NORMALLY WOULD. BUT - SCHOOL SUPERINTENDENT - FRANK RODRIGUEZ - SAYS HIS GOAL IS TO -- CELEBRATE THE CLASS OF 2020'S -- ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS SAFETY AS POSSIBLE - WHILE STILL CREATING SOMETHING FUN AND MEMORABLE. STUDENTS WILL GIVEN A TIME - BY THEIR HIGH SCHOOL - WHERE THEY WILL COME THEIR SCHOOLS AND BE VIDEOED WALKING ACROSS THE STAGE GETTING THEIR DIPLOMA. ONCE EACH SCHOOLS GRADUATION CEREMONY VIDEO IS PUT TOGETHER - IT WILL BE PLAYED BACK -- OVER THE FIRST WEEK IN JUNE. YOU CAN WATCH IT ON THE DISTRICT'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL. EACH STUDENT - CAN BRING 2 GUEST WITH THEM - TO SEE THEM WALK. THE DISTRICT SAYS - THEY ARE KEEPING GROUPS TO 10 OR LESS -- STUDENTS AT A TIME - WHILE PRACTICING SOCIAL DISTANCING. EVERYONE ENTERING THE SCHOOL MUST WEAR A FACE MASK - AND TEMPERATURES WILL BE CHECKED. HOWEVER - STUDENTS CAN TAKE THEM OFF FACE MASKS WHEN WALKING ACROSS THE STAGE. EACH HIGH SCHOOL WILL ALSO HOST DRIVE THROUGH GRADUATION CEREMONIES -- ON THE DAY ITS STUDENT'S CEREMONY VIDEO WILL BE PLAYED. AND WE HAVE DATES FOR EACH HIGH SCHOOL ON WJCL DOT COM. LIVE IN THE LOWCOUNTRY, DROB, WJCL 22 NEWS. THE BEAUFORT WATER FESTIVAL IS NOW POSTPONED BECAUSE OF THE CORONAVIRUS. ORGANIZERS SAY... THE 65TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL WON'T HAPPEN UNTIL JULY 2021. MAY IS MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH. AND NOW.... MORE THAN EVER..... IS THE TIME TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MAINTAINING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. AS WE DEAL WITH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC... HEALTH EXPERTS SAY.. IT CAN CAUSE INCREASED LEVELS OF STRESS, ANXIETY, AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES. THE "FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY" RECENTLY AWARDED GEORGIA SOME FEDERAL FUNDING FOR MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC... ESPECIALLY AS RESTRICTIONS ARE LIFTED. PATEL: "IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, THAT ALTHOUGH THESE THINGS MAY BE LIFTED, WE WILL RETURN BACK TO A NEW NORMAL. AND IT WILL BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMAL THAT WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH. IT TAKES THE ENTIRE TEAM, AT COASTAL HARBOR. AND THE COMMUNITY AS A PART OF OUR TEAM TO ENCOURAGE ALL TO BREAK THE STYGMA AND COM OUT AND SEEK THE HELP THAT THEY NEED." HELP IS AVAILABLEAdvertisement'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spotHe’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus. “I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday."Above video: Your morning headlinesALBANY, Ga. (AP) — The doctors and nurses gathered at the door asked if he was OK when he walked out of the room, and this time Chaplain Will Runyon shook his head “no.”He had just finished the latest of his “goodbye visits,” where he carries an iPad into hospital rooms so families can watch their loved ones take their last breath. He’d suited up in a gown and mask, a blister forming on the bridge of his nose from wearing one day after day.He stepped into a small office, and wept.“There’s so much death right now, it piles up on you, it feels heavy,” Runyon said. He can feel it in his back, in his feet, like he’s dragging something invisible behind him. “It’s happening so often, over and over, everyday.”Runyon is the chaplain at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, where the death rate is among the worst in the country. They used to have two dozen volunteers, but when the virus took hold, the hospital suspended them. So this fell to Runyon. The hospital has seen more than 70 deaths, and he’s helped families through most of them.He considers himself a sponge, there to hold the iPad and soak up the grief. About two weeks into the ordeal, he stopped sleeping. He would jolt awake in the middle of the night.“The day replayed in my mind, over and over and over, and the days before,” he said. “It was just adding up, piling up.”His doctor prescribed sleeping medication, and now he makes it through most nights. When he goes home, he rides bikes with his three children to try to be normal. Sometimes he goes fishing.He’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus.“I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday,” he said. “I wish they could hold the iPad or hold the patient’s hand while they’re dying.”One man recovered, and when he woke up, Runyon had to call in his family, so they could break the news that his wife died days earlier. Some of the patients are on ventilators for weeks, and he gets to know their families. Some have begged to be allowed in for one last hug but he has to say no.He got to know the daughters of a dying man, and they recently decided it was time to let him go.They dialed into the video call. He described the room, the tubes, the machines, then he walked them in. He asked if they wanted to watch as they pulled the tube from his lungs. At first they weren’t sure and stared in stunned silence. He let the silence sink in. He’s always found it’s a powerful tool.County by county: The latest coronavirus cases in Georgia, South CarolinaTracking the curve: See how coronavirus cases and deaths over timeCoronavirus in Georgia, SC: The latest headlines, resources, how to keep your family safeWJCL's coronavirus special coverageThey said they wanted to stay on the line.Runyon thinks of himself a narrator, there to explain what the doctors are doing, so the family is not too shocked or scared.The family could see that the nurse was holding his hand with one of hers, and rubbing his head with the other, as he passed away.“That is the highest calling we have as chaplains right now,” he said, “to make sure people are not alone.”One of the family members had a small child, who asked him, “are you crying?”Runyon said that, yes, he was.Below video: Impact of pandemic on Savannah tourism industryAbove video: Your morning headlinesALBANY, Ga. (AP) — The doctors and nurses gathered at the door asked if he was OK when he walked out of the room, and this time Chaplain Will Runyon shook his head “no.”AdvertisementHe had just finished the latest of his “goodbye visits,” where he carries an iPad into hospital rooms so families can watch their loved ones take their last breath. He’d suited up in a gown and mask, a blister forming on the bridge of his nose from wearing one day after day.He stepped into a small office, and wept.“There’s so much death right now, it piles up on you, it feels heavy,” Runyon said. He can feel it in his back, in his feet, like he’s dragging something invisible behind him. “It’s happening so often, over and over, everyday.”Runyon is the chaplain at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, where the death rate is among the worst in the country. They used to have two dozen volunteers, but when the virus took hold, the hospital suspended them. So this fell to Runyon. The hospital has seen more than 70 deaths, and he’s helped families through most of them.He considers himself a sponge, there to hold the iPad and soak up the grief. About two weeks into the ordeal, he stopped sleeping. He would jolt awake in the middle of the night.“The day replayed in my mind, over and over and over, and the days before,” he said. “It was just adding up, piling up.”His doctor prescribed sleeping medication, and now he makes it through most nights. When he goes home, he rides bikes with his three children to try to be normal. Sometimes he goes fishing.He’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus.“I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday,” he said. “I wish they could hold the iPad or hold the patient’s hand while they’re dying.”One man recovered, and when he woke up, Runyon had to call in his family, so they could break the news that his wife died days earlier. Some of the patients are on ventilators for weeks, and he gets to know their families. Some have begged to be allowed in for one last hug but he has to say no.He got to know the daughters of a dying man, and they recently decided it was time to let him go.They dialed into the video call. He described the room, the tubes, the machines, then he walked them in. He asked if they wanted to watch as they pulled the tube from his lungs. At first they weren’t sure and stared in stunned silence. He let the silence sink in. He’s always found it’s a powerful tool.They said they wanted to stay on the line.Runyon thinks of himself a narrator, there to explain what the doctors are doing, so the family is not too shocked or scared.The family could see that the nurse was holding his hand with one of hers, and rubbing his head with the other, as he passed away.“That is the highest calling we have as chaplains right now,” he said, “to make sure people are not alone.”One of the family members had a small child, who asked him, “are you crying?”Runyon said that, yes, he was.Below video: Impact of pandemic on Savannah tourism industryLoading more articles...

AdvertisementHe’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus. “I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday."'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spotHe’s watched on the news as angry protesters storm state capitols demanding an end to restrictions designed to contain the virus. “I wish people could come into the hospital and see what we see everyday."Hide TranscriptShow TranscriptBLUE TIDE AND HE WILL BE HITTING THE BOOKS AND...

'There's so much death right now': Georgia hospital chaplain details scene at COVID-19 hot spot

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS