People in scrubs, lab coats and masks lined the halls as one patient left Butler Memorial Hospital on Tuesday.

The doctors, nurses and other staff roared in applause as COVID-19 patient Karen Rich, who had been on a ventilator, was wheeled down the hall toward the exit.

In receiving the recognition, Rich patted her heart with tears in her eyes and waved to those who helped save her life during her nearly month-long battle with the coronavirus.

Butler Health System videotaped the moment and shared it with media outlets, as well as posting it on Facebook.

“I praise God for answering so many prayers and thank the entire BHS medical team for saving my life,” Rich said in a hushed tone at the end of the video.

Spokeswoman Jana Panther said as of Tuesday morning, Butler Memorial Hospital no longer has any COVID-19 patients on ventilators.

“BHS discharged its first patient today who had been on a ventilator,” Panther said. “After nearly one month, she went home, and we wish her the very best.”

BHS CEO Ken DeFurio praised his staff for taking a great deal of pride in these moments. He said seeing patients able to return home makes everyone happy.

“The onset of this disease can be rapid, and very debilitating, and then, for some, recovery takes a long time,” DeFurio said. “It puts into perspective all of the hard work from our doctors, nurses and other caregivers. To the men and women, they will tell you that this is why we are here, and patients like Mrs. Rich make it all worth it.”

Two other patients on ventilation support devices were removed from those devices Tuesday.

“Both of them, after several weeks of no contact with visitors, have been able to do virtual visits with their loved ones,” Panther said.

Another death

However, Butler County received a dose of bad news as well Tuesday, having its fifth COVID-19-related death reported by the state Department of Health.

BMH confirmed the patient died Monday at Butler Memorial Hospital. No further details were available on the recent death. This is the third reported death in less than a week.

BHS also released a statement regarding the stay-at-home order as government officials argued over whether to begin “re-opening” the economy.

While according to Department of Health data, Butler County has seen 143 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with five deaths, it now has 10 available ICU beds, 61 available medical and surgical beds, and five available airborne isolation room beds. The data also shows the system has 26 available ventilators with only two in use for nonCOVID-19 illnesses.

“It is a relief to begin thinking about resuming elective visits, procedures and surgeries, but this is an exceptionally complex issue, and we are studying it carefully,” Panther said.