Latest news with #MemorialHealth
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘The sooner you can stop the bleeding, the faster you can save lives,' experts say
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Savannah Impact Program and Memorial Health teamed up Thursday to put on a 'Stop the Bleed' course as a part of Trauma Awareness Month. 'Stop the Bleed' is a two-hour hands-on course where instructors went through a step-by-step what to do in a situation where someone is bleeding heavily. May is Trauma Awareness and Stop the Bleeding Month. Registered nurse Keith Dawson went through a A-B-C method which means alerting 911, find the bleeding and compressing the wound. 'I'm holding direct pressure for 10 minutes,' Dawson said, 'it looks like it stopped, so I kind of take a peek, I think I'm okay. I decided to walk away and do something else. All of a sudden, my victim moves, coughs or sneezes anything to change that pressure in their body and they pop the clot, and they are bleeding again.' The Injury Prevention Disaster Management Coordinator at Memorial Health, Emily Burnside said that the course is often taken by coaches, police officers and parents but she recommended it for everyone. 'You do not have to be a clinician to help save lives, you can be out in the public and we want to kind of empower our community to know that,' Burnside said. Memorial Health offers this course year-round, and they said they recommend everyone to have a bleeding control kit handy, especially with hurricane season right around the corner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Stay safe when the temperatures rise
SAVANNAH, Ga (WSAV) — A hot weekend is ahead of us, a scorcher some may say. Dr Jay Goldstein with Memorial Health said one of the top medical concerns is heat stroke, with heat exhaustion being the most common. 'When we start seeing the heat waves, the first and second heat waves into our communities is when we see the most effect on these consumers because they're not acclimated and they believe they can still perform at the same level and the same amount of exercise and not realize the signs and the effects that the heat is getting to them,' Dr. Goldstein said. 'You're starting to get heat exhaustion in the sun and the weather, and the elements are starting to get to you. and so, when you get to that element of heat stroke, your body temperature rises significantly.' Goldstein broke it down even more, highlighting why one is far more dangerous. 'So, heat exhaustion is where you're out on a tennis court, you're maybe not acclimated to the weather and you start feeling a little bit overheated, a little bit thirsty and lightheaded,' Goldstein said. 'Heat stroke is where your body temperature rises to extreme levels, and you can't bring it down. And if you don't seek immediate and urgent decrease in temperature, you could die from that.' How can we take care of our body as we head into the hotter months? Dr. Goldstein laid out a plan. 'So, the first thing I would tell you is alcohol and caffeine can affect you. And they actually can be kind of more diuretic,' he said. 'They'll cause you to urinate out more than you actually take in. We believe in a balanced electrolyte approach. So, drink a Gatorade and then follow it up with water or drink a half of Gatorade and then fill it back up with water.' Dr. Goldstein also said you can't forget about your skin when having fun. You want to start with sunscreen with SPF 15. 'Realize that the sun has very damaging effects, either sunburn, heat, illness, cancer later in life. So, we want to make sure that you are wearing your sunscreen.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Local nurse shares experience, thoughts on nursing shortage
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Nurses Week began on Tuesday, and one local nurse shared what drives her, the challenges she faces and her thoughts on the nationwide nursing shortage. For over 37 years, Nurse Robbin with Memorial Health has often been the first face patients see when entering the hospital. She said it is a rewarding job filled with its challenges. She relies on her team's camaraderie and family to get her through the toughest days. 'The best way I can describe that for someone that doesn't work in the emergency department here at Memorial is you could be delivering a baby and come out and deliver a coworker's baby, which has happened,' said Robbin. 'The next minute you go take care of someone that's 98 years old. You go from one extreme to the other.' The nation is currently grappling with a nursing gap. Georgia is expected to have the second worst shortage over the next decade, according to the Federal Health Resources and Service Administration. 'I think that nursing itself has expanded so much and that it is difficult to fulfill all the roles that nursing itself has expanded,' Robbin said. 'A lot of nurses are older, and they elected to get out of nursing.' The COVID-19 pandemic also had a significant impact on the nursing crisis. Many nurses had to step into roles in the medical field that pushed them outside of their comfort zones, Robbin told WSAV. 'Since COVID-19, people have become extremely more angry, aggressive,' she said. 'I'm not sure what happened to people. I think that behavior towards nursing has caused a lot of people to leave the bedside.' Nurses and doctors also called this the hardest time of their lives. There were hours spent away from loved ones. Robbin recalled telling families they cannot be there for their loved ones who were ill, which has stuck with her. 'I think it was very difficult for a lot of other nurses, and they saw what happened and how the world handled COVID, and they didn't want to be a part of that,' said Robbin. 'I adapted. I know what I've seen versus what was on the news. I personally experienced it.' Her love for nursing stemmed from the drive to help people. With years of experience and relationships that she has formed, she said she's grown to love the profession even more. She said that at this point of her career, she gets the most fulfillment from witnessing younger nurses' progress. 'I do appreciate the days that I come in and I'm able to teach them or I recognize something that someone else didn't,' she said. 'It's just a great job.' It is a calling that has kept her in her scrubs. She said every day she is grateful of the decisions she has made early on. 'A lady just gave me a hug just before I walked out of there and said, 'You know, thank you for everything,'' she said. 'I took her to a room, and I didn't do much to her, but just listen to her.' National Nurses week focuses on highlighting the continued hard work, even during the country's lowest points. 'I've been in it so long that it used to be Nurses Day,' said Robbin. 'Now they got a whole week. I think that's great, and I think it's an opportunity to recognize the work that nurses do.' She encouraged aspiring nurses to take the leap of faith. 'Go see if you can shadow, go to a doctor's office, go make those visits,' Robbin said. 'What you see on social media is not always the real life but go do volunteer and get into the environment.' As the nation continues to work toward filling the nursing gap, visit Memorial Health to view open positions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSAV-TV.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
St. Patrick's Day health, safety tips from doctors
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Local health officials said trips to the emergency department spike on St. Patrick's Day. WSAV spoke to doctors at Memorial Health, and shared some tips they want you to keep in mind while you're having fun: The number one thing is to stay hydrated. They recommended that you consume water after every drink. Doctors also warn about the dangers of accepting drinks from strangers as they see a lot of sexual assault cases on St. Patrick's Day due to date rape drugs. If you're going to be with an elderly person or a child, pay close attention to them to make sure they aren't getting over heated or consuming harmful things for them such as THC or alcohol. If you or someone you know is becoming incoherent, seek medical help immediately. Doctors said you should seek emergency care if you need it. They also said they will not call the police on you if you consumed illegal substances, or you are underage. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
New healthcare center to open for the underserved in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Memorial Health and Coastal Community Health will partner to create a new healthcare center for the underserved population in Savannah. The new federally qualified health center (FQHC) will be located at 1107 East 66th Street, which currently houses the Memorial Health's Graduate Medical Education (GME) Continuity Clinic. 'We are excited to work together with Coastal Community Health to expand access to high-quality healthcare in our community,' said Brad Talbert, Memorial Health chief executive Officer. 'At Memorial Health, we invest in our community and work with purpose-driven partners to improve more lives in more ways.' Coastal Community Health was founded in Brunswick, Ga., in 2014 and currently operates in six counties in southeast Georgia. The new Savannah FQHC will provide comprehensive healthcare services for underserved (uninsured or underinsured) patients including primary care, preventive health services, dental, behavioral health, and a 340-B discount pharmacy. 'Our mission is to increase access to quality affordable healthcare and we believe this partnership lights a path of hope for many in need of the comprehensive care offered by an FQHC,' said Kavanaugh Chandler, MD, MBA, chief executive officer for Coastal Community Health. Memorial Health's family medicine education program will see patients at the new FQHC. Faculty physicians and more than 20 family medicine resident physicians will practice and work alongside the Coastal Community Health team to care for patients at the new location. 'This partnership will give our family medicine resident physicians a great opportunity to gain valuable experience caring for the underserved patients in our community. It's a win-win for our patients, graduate medical education program and our community,' said Joshua Ferrell, MD, program director for Memorial Health's family medicine residency. 'By increasing access to primary and preventive health care, we hope to reduce some of the unnecessary utilization of local emergency rooms,' said Talbert. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
