A 57-year-old Mexican man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Saturday at a Columbus hospital from COVID-19 complications, the federal agency reports. Felipe Montes was pronounced dead at 12:31 a.m. at Piedmont Columbus Regional Hospital. He entered ICE custody on Dec. 28 and was held at the Stewart Detention Center in nearby Lumpkin…
A new hospital is being planned for Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley to fill what statistics show to be a critical gap in physical rehabilitation services. Piedmont Healthcare of Atlanta and Encompass Health (previously named HealthSouth) of Birmingham have formed a joint venture called Rehabilitation Hospital of Columbus, a limited liability corporation. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Columbus public schools won’t reopen for classes after Christmas break on the same date, due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Based on current data and advice from the local medical community and public health agencies, Muscogee County School District students will return for the spring semester using a phased-in approach,” MCSD announced Friday in a…
For the second time in two weeks, Georgia’s home game against Vanderbilt is called off. A report by Yahoo’s Pete Thamel said the game is canceled as of 5 p.m. on Monday. Vanderbilt hasn’t met the minimum number of players for either scheduled game with the Bulldogs. The SEC recommends that teams have 53 scholarship…
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, as the lead chaplains at their Columbus hospitals, Pat Ingram and the Rev. Marlon Scott already felt their teams played vital roles in the lives of patients, families and staff. But the coronavirus has made their services more critical to healthcare because they often are the only nonmedical, in-person contact coronavirus…
Face masks are once again required in public in Columbus. Columbus’ mask mandate will be reinstated effective Friday, November 20, Mayor Skip Henderson announced Thursday in a press release. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
The Muscogee County Jail has had a cluster of COVID-19 cases among inmates and staff, authorities reported Friday. The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, which is responsible for operating the jail on 10th Street, said 28 inmates have tested positive for the virus, as have four jail workers. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
A $600,000 fundraising campaign has been launched to help create a medical clinic in Harris County and help plug the local health care gap. The project is a public-private partnership among the Harris County Board of Commissioners, Harris County School District, Mercer Medicine and community leaders. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
Georgia has reported consistent weekly declines in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations since hitting the top of a summer surge. But physicians, public health and data experts who spoke with McClatchy expressed concern that state leaders and health officials have not implemented more stringent coronavirus restrictions and the necessary public health infrastructure that would prevent further spread….
Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare, which includes two hospitals and a cancer treatment center in Columbus, is mailing letters to an undisclosed number of patients to inform them that a data breach has compromised some of their private information. The data breach occurred at one of its vendors, South Carolina-based Blackbaud, a third-party management services provider used by…