Middle Georgia provides updated medical facilities, services
The Middle Georgia area is fortunate to have a number of medical facilities offering a variety of services including acute care, ambulatory care, as well as emergency and rehabilitation services.
Recently, Perry Hospital in Houston County underwent a $2.8 million expansion including the addition of more services, modernizing the hospital and making it more efficient.
The first noticeable change at the facility is a new covered driveway at the entrance.
“It was really dated (with) 50-year old architecture and just not friendly from the standpoint of aesthetics for one thing,” Administrator David Campbell said. “And it didn’t have much of a cover for loading and unloading.”
Other big changes for Perry Hospital were to add a wing of new private patient rooms and renovate its existing wing of semi-private rooms into private rooms. The end result is the same number of beds -- 39 -- but now the hospital has all private rooms.
“We had semi-private rooms,” Campbell said. “With the privacy laws and risk of infections -- and people just didn’t like it -- this has been a really nice thing.”
Four of the 39 rooms are for the hospital’s intensive care unit, he said. Another six beds are leased out to Heart of Georgia Hospice for inpatient hospice.
Also, the same-day service area was moved closer to where lab and radiology work is done. Before the change, patients had to walk down a long hallway to get this work done.
“It’s been a great benefit to the patient,” Campbell said.
Other medical facilities in Middle Georgia have recently upgraded services or added additional space to enhance their operations, including:
Coliseum Health System
Coliseum Health System is comprised of Coliseum Medical Centers, Coliseum Northside Hospital and Coliseum Center for Behavioral Health.
Coliseum Medical Centers, a 258-bed facility, offers a 24-hour emergency room, inpatient and outpatient surgery options, rehabilitation programs and diagnostic services. The hospital recently opened a new electrophysiology lab featuring six admitting and recovery rooms and two suites. Each suite features a 54-inch monitor and a cardiac mapping system that helps reduce the length of procedures.
The robotics institute at Coliseum Medical Centers offers new minimally invasive robotic procedures and offers robotically assisted surgeries including gallbladder removals and hysterectomies.
A new program for pelvic health has a nurse navigator who understands the pelvic health issues encountered by women at all stages of life.
Coliseum Medical Centers also includes specialty facilities for heart issues, cancer treatment, diabetes management and a birthing center.
Coliseum Northside Hospital is a full-service, medical-surgical facility with 103 beds, a full-service 24-hour emergency room, inpatient and outpatient surgery options and diagnostic services. Its orthopedic and spine center offers an outpatient rehabilitation center, and the bariatric center provides lap-band surgery.
In 2014, Coliseum Northside started a program for seniors to stay physically and mentally active while socializing with other seniors. It also has a sleep lab, a wound healing center and 24-hour dialysis.
The Coliseum Center for Behavioral Health has 60 beds and a variety of programs to serve patients needing psychiatric care, substance abuse services and other related services.
The Medical Center of Central Georgia
The Medical Center of Central Georgia has continued to grow throughout the past year, with nationally recognized programs, expanded service offerings and new facilities to better serve the health care needs of the region.
The Medical Center expanded its robotic surgery program to include a second robot and says it became the first in the state to offer robotic procedures on an outpatient basis.
In addition, the hospital began offering a minimally invasive robotic surgical option for patients with throat cancer.
Thanks to the support of the community, the hospital received a grant from the Livestrong Foundation to expand its artist-in-residence program for oncology patients at the Wellness Center, another Central Georgia Health System affiliate. Also, The Medical Center’s heartburn center began offering two new procedures for patients who suffer from acid reflux, one to assist with common symptoms of acid reflux and one to prevent the development of esophageal cancer due to acid reflux.
The hospital is in the process of constructing a new cancer center that will house all cancer services in one location, minimizing stress and travel for oncology patients. The new facility is scheduled to open by the end of 2014.
Houston Healthcare
For more than 50 years, Houston Healthcare has been providing quality care to the communities it serves.
During the past year, facilities and services have been expanded in three major areas: imaging, cardiovascular and surgical services.
Houston Healthcare Imaging -- which includes Houston Medical Center, Perry Hospital and the Pavilion Diagnostic Center -- upgraded its CT equipment and added new technology. All three facilities upgraded to 128-slice scanners in addition to a 160-slice scanner at Houston Medical Center.
Since this new equipment and technology have been added, there has been a 65 percent dose reduction in abdomen/pelvis exams, 59 percent reduction in routine chest exams and a 7 percent dose reduction in routine head exams. The hospital is able to evaluate the processes, review dose data and make improvements to positively impact the way it delivers imaging care.
Houston Heart Institute, at Houston Medical Center, is nearing completion of its most recent renovation. During the past year, the existing catheterization laboratory has been renovated and another one added. Both are in more convenient locations.
Probably the most noticeable expansion is in the front of Houston Medical Center with the addition and renovation of the surgical services area. The newly expanded area will include six surgical suites, five endoscopy rooms, two pain clinic procedure rooms and one exam room, along with a cystology suite, bronchoscopy room and additional pre-op and recovery bays. Also, it includes a larger waiting area and a new exterior entrance to the main tower.
Houston Healthcare includes Houston Medical Center, a 237-bed facility, and Perry Hospital, a 45-bed facility. It also operates the Surgery Center, Houston Heart Institute, Houston Lake Rehab, Pavilion Rehab, Pavilion Diagnostic Center, the Houston Health Pavilion and three urgent care facilities.
The Medical Center of Peach County
The Medical Center of Peach County opened in July 2013 to better serve the health needs of Peach, Crawford and surrounding counties. As an affiliate of Central Georgia Health System, the new hospital boasts a state-of-the-art facility, the latest technology and access to the resources and capabilities of The Medical Center of Central Georgia and other Central Georgia Health System affiliates.
Features of the new hospital include 25 private rooms, 14 emergency department rooms and a helipad to transport critical patients. It also includes an operating room, two endoscopy suites and a bronchoscopy suite along with a stress test lab, a pulmonary function lab and a sleep study lab. In addition, the Peach County hospital offers physical, occupational, speech and IV infusion therapies.
The hospital is equipped with the latest in modern health care technology, including a telemetry system for monitoring heart rate and hemodynamics, a 64-slice CT machine with cardiac capability, a digital mammography unit, as well as a new system that electronically stores and displays digital images. The Medical Center of Peach County’s imaging department also provides bone density testing, ultrasounds and a mobile MRI unit that may become a permanent fixture in the future.
Middle Georgia hospitals
Central Georgia Rehabilitation Hospital, 3351 Northside Drive, Macon, 478-201-6500, www.centralgarehab.com
The Medical Center of Central Georgia: 777 Hemlock St., Macon, 478-633-1000, www.mccg.org
The Children’s Hospital at The Medical Center of Central Georgia: 777 Hemlock St., 478-633-1000, www.childrenshospitalmacon.org
Coliseum Northside Hospital: 400 Charter Blvd., Macon, 478-757-8200, www.coliseumhealthsystem.com
Coliseum Medical Centers: 350 Hospital Drive, Macon, 478-765-7000, www.coliseumhealthsystem.com
Coliseum Center for Behavioral Health: 340 Hospital Drive, Macon, 478-741-1355, www.coliseumhealthsystem.com
Houston Medical Center: 1601 Watson Blvd., Warner Robins, 478-922-4281, www.hhc.org
Perry Hospital: 1120 Morningside Drive, Perry, 478-987-3600, www.hhc.org
Monroe County Hospital, 88 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Forsyth, 478-994-2521, www.monroehospital.org
The Medical Center of Peach County: 1960 Ga. 247 Connector, Byron, 478-654-2000, www.tmcpc.org
Regency Hospital of Central Georgia (an acute long-term care hospital), 535 Coliseum Drive, Macon, 478-803-7300, www.regencyhospital.com
Oconee Regional Medical Center, 821 N. Cobb St., Milledgeville, 478-454-3505, www.oconeeregional.com
This story was originally published May 4, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Middle Georgia provides updated medical facilities, services ."