Health care attracts patients from out of town
Is there a doctor in the house? There are plenty of good ones in the Chattahoochee Valley.
Not only do local folks not have to travel to get top notch medical treatment, but also folks from elsewhere go quite a few miles to take advantage of services here.
The Medical Center
The Medical Center is a 413-bed acute care hospital located at 710 Center St. in Columbus. It’s one of three local hospitals operated by Columbus Regional Healthcare System.
The Medical Center serves patients in the region with several specialized services, including a perinatal center that is the only one in the area with a neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit and gynecological oncology program. It serves mothers and babies from 27 Georgia and Alabama counties. The Medical Center is also a Level II trauma center, which allows the facility to provide advanced emergency services to 13 Georgia counties.
Located near the hospital’s main campus is the free-standing John B. Amos Cancer Center, the region’s leading multi-disciplinary cancer facility. Besides receiving treatment, patients can participate in cancer clinical trials as well.
The Medical Center is currently in the process of expanding its emergency department and establishing a new Women and Children’s Center, which will merge services with sister facility Doctors Hospital. Both projects are expected to be completed in 2011.
Call 706-571-1000 or visit www.columbusregional.com.
St. Francis Hospital
Located at 2122 Manchester Expressway, St. Francis Hospital is known for its regional cardiac care program at The Patrick Heart Institute of St. Francis, where patients with heart problems undergo diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation.
St. Francis is Columbus’ only accredited Chest Pain Center and Primary Stroke Center. It also offers the area’s only open heart surgery program. St. Francis offers several highly regarded programs, including the St. Francis Orthopaedic Institute, St. Francis Center for Surgical Care, St. Francis Spine and Neurosurgery Center and Elena Diaz-Verson Amos Center for Breast Health.
The 60-year-old hospital is currently planning a multi-million dollar expansion that will add a clinical tower and medical office building, more space for its emergency and operating rooms and all-private patient rooms, among other features.
The hospital also plans to establish a Women’s Center of Excellence, which officials hope will serve as home to a new baby delivery program. The expansion project is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.
Call 706-596-4000 or visit www.sfhga.com.
Martin Army Community Hospital
Martin Army Community Hospital is one of the largest community hospitals in the U.S. Army. The 250-bed facility is the center for medical services at Fort Benning, serving active military personnel and retirees. It’s located off Interstate 185 at 7950 Martin Loop, across from the Main Commissary-PX Mall.
Martin Army offers several medical services, including 36 ambulatory care clinics, surgical suite, baby delivery program, laboratory services and diagnostic radiology with computerized tomography and nuclear medicine. In the next few years, the Army plans to replace Martin Army — which was built more than 50 years ago — with a larger state-of-the-art hospital nearby.
The hospital’s replacement comes as Fort Benning is in a major expansion mode following the most recent Base Realignment and Closure, which is expected to bring about 28,000 soldiers, civilians, contractors and their family to the area by September 2011.
Call 706-544-2273 or visit www.martin.amedd.army.mil.
Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital
The 70-bed facility is a general hospital with an emphasis on orthopedics.
The 110,000-square-foot Phenix City hospital offers emergency room and surgical services, an 8-bed intensive care unit, full-service diagnostic imaging department, MRI, mammography, x-ray, ultrasound services and more.
The hospital was built in 2007 and purchased a year later by a group of orthopedic surgeons from Columbus’ Hughston Clinic. It is located at 4401 Riverchase Drive.
Call 334-732-3000 or visit www.jackhughstonmemorialhospital.com.
Doctors Hospital
Located at 616 19th St. in Columbus, Doctors Hospital is a 219-bed full-service medical facility that falls under the Columbus Regional umbrella, alongside The Medical Center and Hughston Hospital.
In addition to full medical and surgical services, the hospital has a maternity ward known as One Baby Place, outpatient surgery center, cardiac catheterization, rehabilitation services and a women’s imaging center. One of its best known services is its sleep disorders center, where patients are treated for sleep apnea, narcolepsy and insomnia.
Doctors Hospital is planning to merge certain services with The Medical Center to establish a new Women and Children’s Center, slated to be completed in 2011.
Call 706-494-4262 or visit www.doctorshospital.net.
Hughston Hospital
Hughston Hospital, located at 100 Frist Court in Columbus, is a specialty hospital focused on orthopedics. It was the first hospital in the United States built specifically to treat patients with musculoskeletal injuries and disorders.
Patients, including amateur and professional athletes, have come from all over the world.
The private 100-bed hospital, which features a 28-bed acute rehabilitation center, has won numerous awards. HealthGrades has ranked the Columbus hospital No. 1 in Georgia and in the top 5 percent in the U.S. for joint replacement surgery several years in a row.
Call 706-494-2100 or visit www.hughstonhospital.com.
East Alabama Medical Center
Established in 1952, East Alabama Medical Center is a 340-bed acute care hospital located in Opelika, Ala. The hospital serves a five-county area with a number of traditional medical services, including the highly acclaimed specialties of open-heart surgery and cancer treatment.
Over the past few years, EAMC added several non-mainstream services, including four retirement living facilities, fitness center, inpatient hospice house and wound care center. EAMC also operates the Auburn University Medical Clinic.
With more than 2,700 employees and nearly 150 physicians practicing at the hospital, EAMC is one of the largest employers in Lee County. It’s located at 2000 Pepperell Parkway.
Call 334-749-3411 or visit www.eamc.org.
Columbus Specialty Hospital
The Columbus Specialty Hospital is located on the ninth floor of The Medical Center but is a separate entity. It is a 30-bed long-term acute care hospital, the only one in the region. It is designed for patients who need highly specialized care beyond the typical hospital stay. The hospital treats patients with severe and medically complex conditions.
The specialty hospital is in the middle of an expansion project, expected to be completed by the fall of 2010. It will increase its bed count to 50 and occupy one more floor at The Medical Center.
Call 706-321-6720 or visit www.columbusspecialtyhospital.com.
Regional Rehabilitation Hospital
Located on U.S. 431 North in Phenix City, this 38-bed acute rehabilitation hospital specializes in the treatment of patients recovering from stroke, burns, spinal cord injury, trauma, brain injuries and more.
The facility, which opened its doors in 2003, is a joint venture between HealthSouth Corp. and Columbus Regional.
The hospital is currently expanding its facility and plans to add 10 beds by the fall of 2010.
Call 334-732-2200 or visit www.regionalrehabhospital.com.
The Bradley Center
Founded in 1955, the Bradley Center at 2000 16th Ave. in Columbus is a mental health resource facility with 84 beds. Services include outpatient counseling, addiction treatment, inpatient and day treatment, support groups and educational programs. The center is a partnership between Columbus Regional and St. Francis.
Call 706-320-3700 or visit www.sfhga.com.
West Georgia Medical Center
Located in LaGrange, Ga., West Georgia Medical Center is a 276-bed medical facility that employs about 1,300 staffers.
It was founded in 1937 and serves nine counties in east Alabama and west Georgia. Among its variety of medical services, its strongest areas include cardiac care, cancer treatment, emergency services and labor and delivery.
West Georgia Medical Center recently opened on campus a women’s center, which offers all outpatient diagnostics, including digital mammography.
The hospital’s parent organization, West Georgia Health, offers a number of additional resources, including hospice care, two nursing homes, dialysis services and a retirement community.
Call 706-882-1411 or visit www.wghealth.org.
This story was originally published May 23, 2010 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Health care attracts patients from out of town."