Douglas County ICU workers honored for dedication during pandemic

DOUGLAS CO., Ga. - The past year has been hard on everyone, particularly the dedicated members of the frontline healthcare industry. 

As Wellstar Douglas Hospital Sr. Vice President and Administrator Craig Ownes puts it, healthcare workers have persevered through it by banding together.

"It’s been a hard year and I just want to say thank you to everybody for supporting our hospital and for supporting each other," Owens said. "It’s a team and that team extends beyond the walls of the hospital. It extends to our community and our residents and we’ve pulled together to make our way through this."

Owens' remarks were before Douglas County Board of Commissioners and staff recognized frontline workers at Wellstar Douglas Hospital for their efforts during the battle against COVID-19 on Wednesday.

MORE: COVID-19 HEROES

At the ceremony, former Wellstar Douglas COVID-19 patients delivered thanks to the ICU staff that cared for them and provided life-saving treatment. Retired Douglas County Sheriff’s Captain Ross Brown was one of those grateful patients.

"I went into the hospital here in August of 2020 and finally got out of rehab in March 2021," Brown said. "I just want to thank everyone here for what you’ve done for me and my family. God was with us all and he brought us through."

Wellstar Douglas Hospital’s Dr. Ramin Saghafi, Medical Director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), said the gesture meant a lot to ICU staff.

"This is very humbling. I can’t say enough how much this means to us and to our staff," Saghafi said. "It cannot be understated how much more we have put on to our staff and how much we had to reach deep." 

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