ALBANY, Ga. — Phoebe Putney Health System in Albany is at the center of one of Georgia's hardest hit COVID-19 zones.
2nd-year resident and Macon native Dr. Keylon Glawson is working on the front lines.
"I grew up in Macon, Georgia. I am the oldest of my mother's kids. Of course, being in a single-parent household, it comes with its challenges. I definitely learned how to be a caretaker at an early age and how to be selfless," he said.
He graduated from Northeast High School, did his undergrad at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and then attended Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Now he's helping fight a global pandemic.
"A physicians resident, you're like, 'I'm training to get to that day when boom, I have to use all I have to jump in the trenches and fix these things.' Many of us probably did not expect for it to occur at this time," Glawson said.
Every week, he suits up in full PPE gear to test people for the novel coronavirus.
"We set up makeshift testing facilities, that was also to protect individuals inside a clinic. So everyone stays in their vehicles, and we walk up to those vehicles, and we test them one at a time," Glawson said.
He said seeing national headlines about COVID-19 in Albany made him realize how much his work mattered.
"Before it had a major impact in cities like Atlanta or Macon, it hit little Albany, and I was like, 'Wow this is really serious.' So, now we know how connected Wuhan, China is to a city like Albany, Georgia, so never ever can we forget that our social footprints matter," Glawson said.
It's also important to help those in need.
"As small of a town that you come from, it doesn't matter. Your contribution can be just as large and impactful as the next person. But yes, I hope I make everyone proud back at home," Glawson said.
Glawson is also learning how to use tele-medicine to contact patients over video chat. He says is much different skill than face-to-face interaction.
His mom, aunts and cousins still live in Macon.
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