HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — As the number of coronavirus cases grows country-wide, so does the need for health care workers.
In California, Governor Gavin Newsom is calling on retired doctors and nurses to re-enlist in the fight against coronavirus. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp hasn't issued a statewide order here asking for that, but it's not stopping Jennifer Smith.
Five years ago, she left Houston Medical Center for a local doctor's office after spending 14 years working in the ER and ICU. Now she's heading back, and bringing 3 former hospital nurses with her.
"This has just been weighing on my heart. I can't sleep at night. I feel like I have to do something," says Smith.
Aimee Sams, Joy Fletcher, Brett Forehand, and Jennifer Smith all work 'Monday through Friday' jobs, but Sams says that still leaves them with 48 hours to help.
"We have the weekends available and we have that critical care experience," says Sams. "We wanted to do our part to help our community and help our health care family."
So for 7 days a week, for the foreseeable future, this group of friends will be literally working around the clock. Not for publicity. But for their fellow first responders and those suffering from the deadly virus.
"They're like family and so many of the ones that I worked with are still there. Fighting and working every single day," says Sams.
"The real heroes are the ones who have been there since day one... and we're just coming in to give them a little bit of support and help and relief," says Smith.
The group of friends starts in the Houston Medical Center ICU on Saturday.
If you are a Central Georgia medical professional that would like to join the fight, contact your local hospital. Some resources are listed below.
Houston Health Care Human Resources: (478) 975-5443 or e-mail recruiter@hhc.org
Navicent Health Human Resources: 478-633-1000
RELATED: 'Feed the Fight': Navicent raising money to buy meals for healthcare workers from local restaurants
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