Rhonda, a longtime resident of Cuthbert and a local nurse, worked at Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center until it closed. The hospital's closure not only cost her job but also contributed to the loss of her aunt. Nurse Rhonda Jones recalls receiving a call to assist an elderly patient who was having a medical emergency. "The lady who was having the emergency ended up being my aunt. I was called to perform life-saving measures because the emergency medical response could not get there in time."
The loss of the hospital in Cuthbert came at the worst possible time for residents, as this part of the state was one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Families were left without nearby medical care, and the ambulance service was too slow to respond to emergencies adequately. With the region severely affected by COVID and no medical care available for miles, life-threatening emergencies became more dangerous and heartbreaking.
