MARTINSVILLE, Va – Nearly one year since the pandemic started, staff members at Sovah Health Martinsville are celebrating a new milestone of their own.
The hospital’s COVID-19 unit has been completely empty for an entire week.
“We’re celebrating the moment and recognizing all of the hard work over the last year really from all of our Healthcare heroes,” Chief Nursing Officer Sovah-Martinsville Barbara Seymour said.
There are a handful of coronavirus-positive patients in the intensive care unit at the hospital.
Members of the COVID-19 unit feel no victory is too small to celebrate after spending a year on the frontlines.
AMAZING! Nearly one year since the pandemic started, staff members at Sovah Health Martinsville celebrated having an empty COVID unit for a whole week since last March. 🥳
Posted by WSLS 10 / WSLS.com on Wednesday, March 10, 2021
“It is very encouraging to the staff who just have given everything to the patients. Most people that work in healthcare, you know, that’s what — We’re givers and have very compassionate heart, I can’t tell you that it has been really heroic to see the efforts of the staff,” Chief Operating Officer Tory Shepherd said.
Sovah firmly believes things are moving in the right direction. The hospital has helped vaccinate almost 7,000 people over the last three months.
“You can feel the optimism and relief when you make rounds and you talk to the staff, they’re so encouraged this community is doing their part by doing to mask and social distance,” Seymour said.
Staff hopes to make more optimistic milestones going forward as we all work to returning to small sense of normalcy following a year like no other.