health

An Oglethorpe County EMS team, including medical technician Kelly Huff (from left), director Josh Robinson, EMT Jeffrey Clark, EMT Roy Allen and supervisor paramedic Dennis Weaver, stand in front of an ambulance on April 21, 2025. Robinson said EMS will be hosting a gathering of past and present employees in the fall to celebrate the service's 50th anniversary. (Photo/Emery Pikel)

An Oglethorpe County EMS team, including medical technician Kelly Huff (from left), director Josh Robinson, EMT Jeffrey Clark, EMT Roy Allen and supervisor paramedic Dennis Weaver, stand in front of an ambulance on April 21, 2025. Robinson said EMS will be hosting a gathering of past and present employees in the fall to celebrate the service's 50th anniversary. (Photo/Emery Pikel)

Decades of dispatch: EMS celebrates 50th anniversary in county

Nick Hasnain
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
On a crisp December day, a woman in Oglethorpe County had a sudden realization: her water had broken. Miles from the nearest hospital, paramedic Kristin Gilliam was her only hope. Even with a million “what-ifs” racing through her mind, Gilliam successfully delivered the newborn.
Oglethorpe County Emergency Medical Services on, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Crawford, Georgia. Oglethorpe County EMS plans to start provding whole blood products for severe trauma patients starting late summer or early fall. (Photo/Sydney Shankman)

Oglethorpe County Emergency Medical Services on, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, in Crawford, Georgia. Oglethorpe County EMS plans to start provding whole blood products for severe trauma patients starting late summer or early fall. (Photo/Sydney Shankman)

EMS pursues grant for whole blood products

Sydney Shankman
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
The No. 1 goal for Oglethorpe County EMS is to save lives. The addition of whole blood could save even more.  In fact, receiving whole blood products during pre-hospital treatment could save 37% of patients from severe trauma injuries, which is why EMS plans to start providing it.
Kristin Gilliam sits inside an Oglethorpe County EMS truck on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Crawford, Georgia. Emergency medicine is her passion, and she loves being on the front lines helping her community. (Photo/Gabrielle Gruszynski)

Kristin Gilliam sits inside an Oglethorpe County EMS truck on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Crawford, Georgia. Emergency medicine is her passion, and she loves being on the front lines helping her community. (Photo/Gabrielle Gruszynski)

Learning to save lives

Gabrielle Gruszynski
Wednesday, September 17, 2025
When someone collapses from a heart attack or suffers a serious injury, the first few minutes are critical.  In Oglethorpe County, EMS is preparing residents to help make the difference.   Kristin Gilliam opens a bleeding control kit on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Crawford, Georgia.
Children learned about dental hygiene at the Oglethorpe County Library Family Health Resource Fair on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Using a toothbrush and a dry-erase marker, participants cleaned drawings of teeth as a visual lesson in proper care. (Photo/Maura Rutledge)

Children learned about dental hygiene at the Oglethorpe County Library Family Health Resource Fair on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025. Using a toothbrush and a dry-erase marker, participants cleaned drawings of teeth as a visual lesson in proper care. (Photo/Maura Rutledge)

Glenn, library help connect residents with resources

Maura Rutledge
Thursday, September 4, 2025
Kendarious Glenn saw the need for health care aid in his hometown and decided to return to Oglethorpe County after furthering his education.
Katie Edwards, a counselor at Oglethorpe County Elementary School, helps third-grader Londyn Wilson with a work- sheet during a guidance lesson last month. The lessons are regularly held to guide students' empathy, emotion regulation, perseverance and more. (Navya Shukla/For The Oglethorpe Echo)

Katie Edwards, a counselor at Oglethorpe County Elementary School, helps third-grader Londyn Wilson with a work- sheet during a guidance lesson last month. The lessons are regularly held to guide students' empathy, emotion regulation, perseverance and more. (Navya Shukla/For The Oglethorpe Echo)

High need, low accessibility: Oglethorpe County residents face barriers to mental health care, even as teens and schools are willing to have the conversation

Navya Shukla and Sydney Rainwater
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Sonja Thompson Roach remembers the moment last year when a photographer took photos and interviewed her son and his friends for a Time magazine story on mental health and teens.
Tina Shehee, nurse practitioner, sits in her office between patients. Shehee works Monday-Friday, with Wednesdays off for 14-hour shifts at Medlink Oglethorpe. (Lily Murphy/Oglethorpe Echo)

Tina Shehee, nurse practitioner, sits in her office between patients. Shehee works Monday-Friday, with Wednesdays off for 14-hour shifts at Medlink Oglethorpe. (Lily Murphy/Oglethorpe Echo)

Educating patients key for MedLink’s Shehee

Lily Murphy
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Tina Shehee joined MedLink Georgia’s Oglethorpe office this year as a nurse practitioner for patients 6 and up. Shehee was a registered nurse for 23 years, then returned to school and received her nurse practitioner license in 2019. Both of her degrees are from the University of North Georgia.
Workforce statistics from long-term care facilities. These statistics are a result of the pandemic. (Graphic/Shelby Wingate)

Workforce statistics from long-term care facilities. These statistics are a result of the pandemic. (Graphic/Shelby Wingate)

Quiet Oaks faces staffing shortages

Shelby Wingate
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Even though COVID-19 is no longer seen as the unsettling force it once was, Quiet Oaks Health Care continues to face challenges due to the pandemic.    Like other nursing homes, Quiet Oaks is struggling with staffing shortages.
Oglethorpe Animal Clinic receptionists Karla Wallace, left, and Renee Evans, right, give TLC to a stray dog while waiting to re-house the animal earlier this month. (Basil Terhune/The Oglethorpe Echo)

Oglethorpe Animal Clinic receptionists Karla Wallace, left, and Renee Evans, right, give TLC to a stray dog while waiting to re-house the animal earlier this month. (Basil Terhune/The Oglethorpe Echo)

On front line for pets

Basil Terhune
Thursday, September 29, 2022
WATCH: On front line for pets: Inside the Oglethorpe Animal Clinic   Oglethorpe Animal Clinic provides general care to the animals and beloved pets of the county.
The Medlink Georgia branch in Lexington offers the latest COVID-19 booster. (Submitted Photo)

The Medlink Georgia branch in Lexington offers the latest COVID-19 booster. (Submitted Photo)

Latest COVID-19 booster offered at Medlink Oglethorpe

Andrea Gutierrez
Thursday, September 22, 2022
Various locations in Oglethorpe County offer the updated COVID-19 booster, and local health professionals continue to spread the word about its effectiveness.     The Food and Drug Administration authorized the use of a new booster vaccine for protection against COVID-19 on Aug. 31.