My name is Josh Powell. I am the grandson of CJ Powell, who was originally from Moultrie. He was a small business owner in Moultrie and was later elected to the House of Representatives, serving District 145 from 1989 to 1992. He was also the superintendent of Reed Bingham State Park for many years. 

Given my family’s history with this small town, we are familiar with everything Moultrie, from the Christmas lights and the big tree on the courthouse square to the many small businesses that have been in Moultrie for years that help make up the rich background that makes Moultrie such a tight-knit community.  

My family and I have recently gotten familiar with another of Moultrie’s great assets, Colquitt Regional Hospital. Cooper Jack Powell, my son, who is 2 years old, contracted a stomach virus and got really sick for six days. As parents, we were very concerned and went to a neighboring hospital’s ER and waited for a total of 4 hours, with little Cooper throwing up in the waiting room the entire time. 

After the long wait and talking with others who had been there for 6+ hours, we decided to leave and go elsewhere to receive care. We called the Colquitt Regional ER in Moultrie, and they were very kind and stated that they would get us in as soon as possible and that the wait time at that moment was around 30 minutes. We made the 45-minute drive from where we were and were received with a kind, warm welcome and triaged right away with a small wait before being called back. 

We spent two nights in this facility and met a lot of the staff while we were there. Everyone, from the young lady who registered us to the housekeeping staff, was great and greeted us with a smile. Gabe in the ER was a young man who was able to start an IV on this dehydrated 2-year-old with super tiny veins, and he did excellent on the first try! He was so kind and compassionate while doing it, which not only put little Cooper at ease but also his parents. 

We then went to the newly renovated pediatric floor and met the nurses Chelsi and Abi and multiple other staff members, including maintenance, who came right away when we had some trouble with the TV. The interdisciplinary team with Dr. Weeks was also great and checked on us daily and sometimes multiple times a day. 

We were so impressed by the care that we received that we will no longer use any other health care system. Colquitt Regional is great and yet another reason why Moultrie is such a great community. I commend the leadership and administration for guiding this team and cultivating such a good environment here within this hospital. Thank you all for what you do, and for the compassion and kindness with which you do it! 

Joshua D. Powell

Adel