Georgia nurse quits over COVID-19: ‘My family and my life, they matter’

In a video that has gone viral, a Georgia nurse with pre-existing conditions quit her job at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital due to concerns over the coronavirus.

Melissa Thomas Scott is a nurse in Albany, GA and is currently receiving widespread support on the internet after she shared her breaking point. On Wednesday, she took to Facebook Live after being assigned to the “Corona floor” for a 12-hour shift at Putney.

Scott, who worked in the hospital’s acute care area, is a triple-negative breast cancer survivor and was diagnosed in 2012 at age 31. She explained having to put her safety and health first, especially for her children who are between the ages of 1 and 17.

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“I just quit my job. I clocked in. I find out that I’m being sent to a Corona floor when they know that I have kids at home, who I can’t send away, to you know, get away from me,” Scott said.

The 39-year-old added that her supervisor was aware of her concerns, but it was not taken into consideration.

“My managers sent me to a floor that is being tested for Corona. She knows my health history. She knows all of this. I quit. I care about the patients and all but my family and my life, they matter. They come first. She knows my health history. I told her that my kids don’t have anybody to go to. I can’t send my kids away like everybody else. I’m done. I’m leaving,” she said.

The hospital announced in a press release Wednesday, the same day that Scott quit, that they were caring for “critically ill Covid-19 patients” and reached capacity in three intensive-care units. 357 patients have tested positive thus far.

READ MORE: Two Georgia health care workers dead from coronavirus

“As this public health crisis in southwest Georgia gets more severe, we have been reaching out to other hospitals in our part of the state,” the system’s CEO, Scott Steiner, said. “I am pleased that every one of our regional partners we spoke to in the last 24 hours agreed to assist by accepting patient transfers from us.”

Watch Scott’s Facebook Live video below.