SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The COVID-19 pandemic continues to take a toll on Georgia and its residents, and there's one woman who has taken the task of keeping people's spirits up, even during grim experiences with the virus.
Nearly 200 people in Georgia died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, data shows. Even as cases of the virus go down across the state, the number of deaths continue to rise.
The strain on hospital staff has been enormous as so many people continue to battle the virus. Chaplain Dorie Griggs is often there to see it.
Griggs starts every shift with a prayer.
As one of the chaplains at Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital, she weaves her way through the hospital and attends all the deaths on every floor when the patients want her there.
She says with how isolated people have been through the COVID-19 pandemic, chaplaincy is needed more than ever.
"You just hope that you'll be present in a way that will help other people," she said.
She started working at the hospital in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and has supported hundreds of families through the virus.
"You just say a little prayer and hope God will use you in a way that will help whoever you're going to see," she said.
Griggs believes her work isn't just needed but appreciated. Over the past two years, coronavirus has added a new strain to hospitals, and the need for her role. She's not just there to support the patients, but the doctors and nurses working there too.
"We all have our own faith, but we don't advance that on other people. We are here to listen. You never know what another person needs until you listen," she said.
And she says a lot of times, that's all people need, someone to be there to listen, especially during an era of social distancing and isolation.
"When I first started, we (had) no visitors at all. So I stood in that gap, between the patient and the families, bringing iPads for Facetime or zoom meetings," she said.
In January of last year, she stood at the bedside of six different patients who died of COVID-19 in just one shift. She says no matter how much experience one has worked through the pandemic, it still feels heavy.
"I've learned to stay on the floor a little longer after a death, just to be present. If you're there and you have chaplain on your name badge, people just start talking to you," she said.
She started her career as a chaplain with emergency responders and still works with the Roswell Fire Department.
"When you show up in a fire scene, the crying family is who I go to," she said. "And the firefighters are walking into a burning building. I couldn't do what they do. We all have our piece and we are all part of a team."
She says responding to COVID is an emergency and the nurses and doctors who show up every day are meant to be there.
"They might not use the same language that someone in ministry does, but that's just what they're supposed to do," she said.
Even as case numbers drop in the community, hospitals are still dealing with an onslaught of COVID patients every day and she says it can be hard for everyone who works there to cope.
"Some days it is heavy. Some days I'll go and I have a chair that's overlooking a bird feeder. I will sit and watch the birds. Some days I'll take a walk. That's how I process things," she said.
A walk and a prayer is often what she needs so she can come back and serve another day.
"Nurses are trained to make people feel better. All the nurses and doctors and techs who are here are here to fix things. Chaplains, there's nothing we can say or do to make a situation better. But we can make people feel like they're not alone," she said.
Griggs said for people struggling with grief or loss, the most important thing is to make sure they know they are not alone.