MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) - Houston Healthcare employees, like hospital staff worldwide, scrambled to prepare as the coronavirus edged closer to Middle Georgia five years ago.

"In some aspects, it feels like it was forever ago, and in others, it feels like it was just yesterday," said Jessica Paige, the Director of Critical Care at Houston Healthcare.

Tuesday marked five years since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Although the term essential worker was being used often, Paige says it took hindsight to really see herself in that role.

"During the moment, we were just running on adrenaline," Paige said. "You know, we didn't really slow down enough to really think and take it all in."

Paige says seeing an increased loss of life and having to alter daily routines took a great mental toll on her and her coworkers as staff who had been working bedside left the field due to their experiences. Piedmont Macon also saw several experienced nurses and doctors retire due to the pandemic. CEO Steve Daugherty says before the pandemic, the shortfall of nurses was expected to happen over the course of a decade, but COVID-19 accelerated that timeline to 18 months.

"We also not only lost the individuals, but we lost their knowledge base," Daugherty said. "And so, we're trying to figure out how we can retain some of that knowledge."

Daugherty says Piedmont Macon saw more than 200 deaths at its two hospitals in the first year of the pandemic alone. While it was devastating, and the hospital became understaffed, it brought about innovation. Daughtery says the hospitals were forced to ramp up virtual visits and care efforts, and Piedmont Macon will soon launch virtual nursing made possible by training and mentoring from retired nurses.

"Last year, Piedmont saw 163,000 people via virtual visit," Daugherty said.

Daugherty says that while the pandemic was a tragedy for many families across Middle Georgia, he is confident that Piedmont Macon came out better from it than it entered.

"Retrospectively, people could say, 'You should've done this,' 'Oh, you should've done this,'" Daugherty said. "It was a time of learning, and it was trial and error. I'd like to say we made fewer errors than we made improvements, but some of the experiences we made with COVID are still helping us improve how we deliver care today."

Paige says although the pandemic was a once in a lifetime experience, Houston Healthcare is prepared for whatever may come next.