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‘NOTHING IS NORMAL’: Small-town hospital soldiers ahead against pandemic

NEW TRI-STATE DEFENDER — As of March 31, the Mississippi State Department of Health’s website was reporting 1,073 total cases statewide and 22 fatalities. Marshall County, where Holly Springs is, had reported 15 cases and no deaths, so far. Hospitals are slammed because of coronavirus – no surprise there. We see it play out in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles every day. Local Memphis news teams are doing phenomenal work informing and educating Memphis and beyond. But all across America, there are thousands of small towns like Holly Springs fighting this virus without cameras rolling – also without essential equipment, staff or training. Town leaders are improvising on the fly, even as the landscape is shifting underneath their feet.

Published

7 years ago

April 4, 2020

Oakland Post

Just like health providers all over America, the staff at Alliance Healthcare System in Holly Springs, is working overtime to fight COVID-19, often with limited equipment and resources. (Courtesy photo)

By Lee Eric Smith, New Tri-State Defender

Marketia Morrow is quietly terrified.

As the Chief Nursing Officer at Alliance Healthcare System in my hometown of Holly Springs, Miss., she is in a combat zone – she can’t self-isolate. Can’t keep a six-foot distance. Can’t work from home. She faces the enemy – COVID-19 – every day, averaging 50-60 hours a week since the pandemic began. She fears that she – and by extension, her family – are being silently attacked, though she might not know for days.

She did not sign up for this.

“I signed up to be a nurse to provide care to patients, not necessarily thinking we would ever be in such a high-risk situation,” she told me Tuesday. “I was talking to (Alliance owner) Dr. (Kenneth) Williams about how everything had changed. He made the statement that nothing is normal. And when I got off the phone, I thought about it.

“Nothing is normal,” she added. “Everything has changed.”

As of March 31, the Mississippi State Department of Health’s website was reporting 1,073 total cases statewide and 22 fatalities. Marshall County, where Holly Springs is, had reported 15 cases and no deaths, so far.

Hospitals are slammed because of coronavirus – no surprise there. We see it play out in cities such as New York, Chicago and Los Angeles every day. Local Memphis news teams are doing phenomenal work informing and educating Memphis and beyond.

But all across America, there are thousands of small towns like Holly Springs fighting this virus without cameras rolling – also without essential equipment, staff or training. Town leaders are improvising on the fly, even as the landscape is shifting underneath their feet.

“With all of the hospitals and medical facilities Memphis has, they have a clear advantage in their healthcare facilities and access to different kinds of needs relating to treating this pandemic,” said Holly Springs Mayor Kelvin Buck. “With that said, we were able to get online with some of those things pretty quickly.”

Many of the challenges facing Holly Springs are the same ones facing Memphis – how do you keep people from gathering in public? What about educating children while school is out? How will people deal with job disruptions and layoffs? Buck said that for the most part, citizens are complying with stay-at-home orders and social distancing.

But he envied how quickly Shelby County Schools was able to quickly ramp up “School on TV” with WMC-TV 5 and other accommodations. The Holly Springs School District wasn’t set up at all for remote learning.

“It took us a while to get caught up with laptops for the students,” he said. “So many kids didn’t have computers and a lot don’t have the Internet.”

And then, there’s church.

“One of the biggest challenges has been there were a couple of churches that didn’t want to comply,” Buck said. “And they were using arguments of constitutional rights and freedom of religion and stuff like that.”

He wouldn’t name the churches. “I’m trying to keep them out of the public because one of them has said they’ll try to be back next Sunday,” he said. “We’ll see.”

Back at Alliance, Morrow is facing the same shortages that other providers are: specifically PPE’s – personal protective equipment. Ordinarily, such equipment would be thrown into the red biological waste container, never to be used again, she said. But the supplies just won’t allow that.

“Once you go in that room (wearing protective gear), it’s infected. It’s contaminated,” she said, referring to non-pandemic procedures. “And it goes in the garbage can. We don’t reuse anything. But as far as face shields are concerned, we have to (reuse them) because we don’t have any more.”

And then there’s the fact that Alliance has no intensive care unit. The hospital can handle a few cases of respiratory illness, but when the onslaught hits, patients will be referred to larger hospitals in places such as Memphis, Olive Branch, Southaven, Oxford or even Tupelo, Morrow said. And all of that was before The White House projected “a painful couple of weeks.”

Morrow has the curse of knowing too much. Used to be when she got home, her kids rushed outside to give her big hugs and kisses. But not anymore. She takes off her clothes before entering the house, goes straight upstairs for a shower. The clothes are immediately washed. And then, hugs . . . maybe.

“The nurse in me is still worried when I go home to provide care for them,” she said, her voice cracking. “Breathing in front of them. Talking to them.

“Now that it’s everywhere, all over your workplace and you’re having to go home and you don’t want to expose your family to it because they didn’t sign up for it. You did,” she added. “It makes you think . . . a lot. I signed up to be a nurse, but I didn’t really expect all this. But one day at a time, you push through. As many prayers as possible.”

Like a good reporter, I ask her a question I already know the answer to: With so much personal risk – to herself, to her family – what makes her keep coming back?

“I’ve never given up easily,” she replied. “I feel like, if I don’t, who will? You never know, I may need somebody to provide care for me. . . . I don’t know what makes me keep coming back. I just feel like it’s my responsibility. I do all I can to protect myself while I do it and I just keep coming.

“Honestly, I can’t give you a direct answer,” she sighed.

Like I said, I knew the answer before I asked. So I told her.

“I know why you come back,” I said. “Because you’re a freaking SUPERHERO, that’s why. You run into the burning building so you can save lives. That’s what superheroes do.”

Which is why I smiled when she sent me pictures of her and her team at work – in nurse gear, head coverings . . . and face masks. Of course.

Just like superheroes.

(Lee Eric Smith is an NNPA award-winning columnist and co-founder of Abundant Earth Global CDC, a nonprofit aimed at blending eco-friendly home construction, urban farming and waste-to-energy production to regenerate neighborhoods. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @l3esmith.)

She faces the enemy – COVID-19 – every day, averaging 50-60 hours a week since […] This article originally appeared in the New Tri-State Defender

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Smooth Ride! Car Suspension & Comfort Tested #shorts

Smooth suspension meets surprisingly spacious legroom. Experience true comfort on any road!

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Car suspension test demonstrating a smooth ride, comfort features, and handling on various terrains.

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61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Houston leaders discuss the ongoing struggle for civil rights 61 years after Selma, emphasizing the need for continued action.

It has been 61 years since the Selma marches. But political leaders in Houston say that the issues protesters were marching for still plague the lives of Black Americans.

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Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

3 weeks ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.