Latest news with #MemorialHealth
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Yahoo
One person dead due to heart complications "exacerbated" by Oglethorpe Mall shooting
One person has passed away from the July 2 Oglethorpe Mall shooting due to non-gunshot-related medical complications. Olislene 'Tina' Smith died around midnight, late July 3 or early July 4, to heart complications "exacerbated" by the shooting incident, according to a Savannah Police Department press release. Additional details on injuries or complications sustained at the shooting were not able to be provided Friday morning, said SPD Public Information Officer Stephanie Selander. Smith is the first announced death resulting from the shooting, which sent shockwaves through Chatham County into Thursday. Smith was also one of three individuals who sustained non-gunshot-related medical complications from the incident. Each of those people were transported to Memorial Health University Medical Center after the shooting. Witness account: Witness says Oglethorpe Mall security responded "almost immediately" to Wednesday's shooting Three other victims had non-life-threatening-gunshot wounds and were transported to Memorial after the shooting as well. Gunshot wound victims included two adult males and one male juvenile, according to an SPD press release. No charges have officially been brought related to the shooting, but SPD said in the press release it "will be working closely with the Chatham County District Attorney's Office in the coming days to determine appropriate charges and to whom." Update on charges: Previously reported charges from Oglethorpe Mall shooting won't be pursued "at this time" Chatham County District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones held a press conference Thursday and said the mall shooting will take "highest priority" in her office upon law enforcement's completion of the investigation. That investigation is ongoing. SPD says anyone with information should call CrimeStoppers at 912-234-2020 or submit an anonymous tip through the SPD mobile app. This is a developing story. Evan Lasseter is the city of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Individual dies after Oglethorpe Mall shooting "exacerbated" heart issue
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
School's out but the heat is up! How to keep your kids safe
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – When the sun is shining, kids love to play, but the temperature is rising – and heat danger and exhaustion can happen fast. It is important to keep them cool and hydrated as children's bodies heat up three to five times faster than the average adult. Be careful on the playground. high temperatures and the beating summer sun can heat up the equipment and burn children's skin. The temperature on my WSAV Weather App says 84 degrees. The temperature of the slide with my thermometer says 121 degrees! That's about a 35 degree temperature difference so always make sure to check playground equipment before children climb or sit. Dr. Ashley Cheek, Pediatrician at Memorial Health, says 'The playground equipment looks the same all year round, but depending on what the weather is that day, it can be very hot and can cause really severe burns. even third degree burns.' To avoid injuries or burns, make sure to plan time outside away from the heat of the day or in the shade. The best time to be outside would be in the morning or the evening. Dr. Ashley Cheek also says 'I think it's an important point and especially for the summer is when you're going to the park, try to go before 10am or after 4pm. Those are the best times as far as sun exposure for kids. Playground equipment in direct sunlight also causes a risk of heating up quickly or even slowly and still causing damage.' If you have to be outside during the heat of the day when the sun is the highest in the sky, the best way to check equipment is with the back of your hand. It's less tough making it easier to feel the heat. It's also easier to pull your hand away to avoid getting burned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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.
