BY BRANDY TEMPLETON

On Wednesday afternoon, Davis Regional Medical Center employees shared hugs and goodbyes as the hospital’s Emergency Department closed its doors to new patients.

Allie Gregory, an LPN who was recently named Davis’ final employee of the month, struggled to hold back tears as she reflected on her six years at the hospital.

“Patients are saying they’ve always come here, their kids were born here, and asking, ‘Where are we going to go now?’ ” she said. “We’re all like a family and we’re starting fresh. It’s scary.”

Davis Regional officials announced July 19 that the hospital would be cease most patient-related services by the end of the year and reopen as an in-patient behavioral health care facility.

For Savanna Boltz, RN, the day was especially emotional because of the personal experiences she’s shared with her co-workers at Davis. Boltz lost her 13-year-old daughter, Jada Marlowe, in a tragic accident on June 22 and said her “second family” has been an incredible support.

“This place has carried me,” she said.

Boltz, who plans to move to Wilmington for a new job at a hospital there, said news of Davis Regional’s closing came far too suddenly.

“I found out the day of our Jada Walk,” she said of a memorial honoring her daughter. “None of us knew. We found out through the newspaper or on Facebook.”

Patient Care Coordination Keisha Gresham was also dealing with a range of emotions on Wednesday.

“It’s surreal,” she said. “A hospital is closing.”

Members of the public are also experiencing that feeling of shock, Boltz said.

“We’ve had people come in all week long not realizing we’re closing. Davis didn’t alert them,” she said. “It feels unsafe and disappointing.”

Emergency Department Director DJ Fair has worked at Davis Regional for three years and managed the department for 10 months. His feelings centered around the loss of a valuable asset for the community.

“It’s very sad,” said Fair, who has accepted a position at Lake Norman Regional Medical Center. “This hospital has been here for 100 years.”

As staff members struggled to say goodbye, Fair offered words of thanks for the care they have provided to so many patients, including several from their own families.

“This team has just really came together every time something has happened,” he said. “We helped when our tech’s son Lucas had leukemia and with Jada. As soon as we heard, we stepped up.”

Gregory, whose time at Davis Regional extends back to 2010 when she completed her nursing school Capstone there, said she and her co-workers are truly feeling the pain of a difficult goodbye.

“We are being ripped apart,” Gregory said. “We weren’t just employees, we were family.”