South Georgia Medical Center

Description

Our Mission Statement
We exist to serve people

Our primary service is restoration of health

We will be a provider of most aspects of health care

We will provide leadership to improve and develop the healthcare delivery
systems of the future

We will work with others to improve the health of the people in the
communities we serve

We will participate in making our community a better place to live

Our Vision Statement
quotSGMC will be the leader in improving the health wellness and quality of life in our communitiesquot

We Value
Excellence in All That We Do We strive to do the right thing the right way are accountable in all we do require competence of our people and are compassionate in our service

Integrity and Professional Conduct We treat all individuals with respect expect honesty from all members of the organization treat all people fairly and are ethical in our dealings

Team Spirit and Individual Initiative We encourage team effort support personal and professional development acknowledge individual talents and skills and support innovation and empowerment

Efficiency and Effectiveness We strive for accuracy encourage process improvement expect cost containment and accept responsibility and accountability

Effective Communication We strive to communicate openly accurately and in a timely manner seek clarity and understanding of information respect and maintain confidentiality and understand the value of information in decision making

Accept our Responsibility to Our Community We support community institutions participate in community services give of our time and energy to community projects and care for all people in our community

Our Quality Statement
We are committed to

Customer Centered Competent Compassionate and Costeffective Care

Our Value Statement
Our decisions and actions will be guided by our values

History

The History of South Georgia Medical Center
Pineview General Hospital opened on July 1 1955 as a 100bed public healthcare facility serving the residents of Valdosta and surrounding communities The hospitals construction was made possible by the HillBurton Hospital Construction Act The Act which provided twothirds of the construction costs for new public hospitals was funded by Congress to help meet the countrys growing healthcare needs following World War II Pineview received additional construction funds from state and local governments

In the 50 years since its founding South Georgia Medical Center has grown from a small community hospital into a regional referral center serving approximately 350000 residents in north Florida and south Georgia Today the hospital is recognized for many Centers of Excellence including the Pearlman Cancer Center The Birthplace and the Dasher Memorial Heart Center

SGMCs history is marked with change The first medical facilities in Lowndes County were small infirmaries and converted homes called sanatoriums However the growing population of Lowndes County in the early 1900s necessitated the development of more permanent hospital facilities to meet the communitys medical needs

In 1915 Dr AG Little and Dr Archibald Griffin built a private hospital at 1307 North Patterson Street It was named the LittleGriffin Hospital and since it was a private hospital its use was limited to patients of the two physicians

In the beginning LittleGriffin Hospital had 40 patient beds an Xray department a laboratory an emergency room one operating room and a food services department The staff consisted of two general practitioners and 12 nurses The hospital started an inservice training school for nurses in 1916 with a dormitory residence for the nurses behind the main hospital In 1919 a 34bed patient care annex was added to accommodate the growing practices of Drs Little and Griffin

In 1921 Dr Frank Bird and Dr JF Mixson began a small infirmary in the upper story of a building at the corner of Central Avenue and Ashley Street Six years later the Bird and Mixson Infirmary moved into a larger building intersecting Stevens and Briggs Streets with Central Avenue In 1932 Dr Mixson and Dr Bird dissolved partnership Dr Bird continued to operate the Infirmary with the help of Dr D L Burns For a while Dr Birds son Ashley was associated with the hospital Dr Bird suffered a terrible accident in 1943 and his injuries forced him to discontinue his medical practice The Infirmary closed permanently

At LittleGriffin Hospital two new partners joined the practice in 1927Dr A F Saunders and Dr BG Owens The corporate name was changed to LittleGriffinOwensSaunders Hospital although it was still publicly known as LittleGriffin The hospital remained private with admitting privileges extended only to two other doctors eareyenoseandthroat specialists Drs J M Smith and T H Smith When The Great Depression hit in 1929 the nursing school closed because the graduate nurses couldnt find employment

By the mid1930s things were improving and other physicians were invited to practice medicine at LittleGriffin Various specialists including surgeons obstetricians and pediatricians affiliated with the facility When Dr Griffin died in 1935 Dr Owens purchased controlling interest and became general manager of the hospital

By 1946 various hospital expansions and modernizations brought the total number of beds at LittleGriffin to 105 Following World War II the LittleGriffin training school for nurses reopened and contributed significantly to the hospitals growth The postwar baby boom and other factors contributed to the hospitals utilization

During this time of growth and prosperity local citizens began discussing the need for a publiclyowned citycounty hospital A new bill approved by Congress the HillBurton Act allowed federal funds to supplement state and local funds to build new public hospitals in communities across the nation Early in 1948 the Lowndes County Commission and Valdosta City Council established the LowndesValdosta Hospital Authority
The state mandated that grants for new hospitals could be made only upon receipt of a firm agreement from the owners of existing private hospitals saying those facilities would close when the new public facility was completed The owners of LittleGriffinOwensSaunders hospital all readily agreed

On August 23 1950 Lowndes County citizens went to the polls to approve using county funds for the local match which would be about onefifth of the total cost of the new hospital The referendum passed by a ratio of 12to1 On September 14 1950 Pendleton Park an area of about 20 acres was deeded to the Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County The project was underway The original contract for construction was let to Ray M Lee Company for 1154000 Project architects were Lloyd Greer Conner Thomson and Zeb Lackey

The Hospital Authority accepted suggestions for naming the hospital from the community Pineview General Hospital was chosen because of the rural location The doors opened July 1 1955 Promptly 35 patients were transferred from LittleGriffin Pineview had approximately 75 employees on opening day

During the early years Pineview had more than its fair share of problems Some were financial and other involved equipment or should I say the lack of it The inpatient census rose and fell with unpredictability and it was challenging to generate consistent cash flow However the founding fathers remained committed to overcoming all obstacles They worked tirelessly to receive more funding from all sources They supported the addition of needed services such as a blood bank and a chaplaincy program

To meet the physicians needs for office space near the hospital the Hospital Authority sold the east corner of the property to private investors for the construction of a Doctors Building

To make use of community volunteers a Volunteer Auxiliary formed in April 1956 The Pink Ladies as the Auxilians were called delivered mail and flowers to patients and performed other duties Eventually the Pink Ladies began fundraisers to benefit the hospital

The patient load at Pineview increased with the areas burgeoning population Early in 1960 the Hospital Authority requested a survey by the State Health Department The survey results recommended that Pineview add 75 or more beds an additional laboratory and new Xray facilities Federal and state governments agreed to allot funds for an expansion and modernization project after July 1 1961 if the city and county could raise their onethird of the estimated cost The citizens of Lowndes County voted and approved a bond issue that provided 350000 toward the 12 million cost estimate for this building program

The expansion project was completed in 1964 and 90 new patient beds emergency room beds Xray and operating room facilities were added along with a new chapel and a new pediatric wing The medical staff numbered 40 representing the specialties of pediatrics internal medicine surgery OBGYN orthopedics anesthesiology pathology radiology eareyenoseandthroat urology and general medicine

In May 1970 a federal grant assisted in the completion of a 26bed Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center the first of its kind in Georgia This unit served as a fivecounty mental health referral center It was constructed as a twostory annex on the front of the facility

In order to reflect the hospitals everincreasing responsibility to serve the health needs of more than 200000 persons in an 11county medical service area of south central Georgia and north central Florida Pineviews name was changed to South Georgia Medical Center on October 20 1971

The 1970s brought big changes in ambulance care The Emergency Services Network which was signed into law by Governor Jimmy Carter made Lowndes County South Georgia Medical Center one of two pilotsites for a multicounty emergency response network including the first Emergency Medical Technician EMT training program

Under the superb leadership of SGMC affiliated physicians Dr Bob Stump Dr Van Bennett Dr Alex Little Dr Mack Greer and Dr James Mathis a firstclass Emergency Medical Services program was established This program emphasized proper training the need for the right equipment some of which needed to be developed and the importance of staffing SGMCs emergency room with physicians 24hours a day

Since proper equipment was crucial to successful EMS operations in 1972 Lowndes County was among the first EMS units in the nation to have ambulances equipped with advanced life support capability and radio telemetry SGMCs EMS was the first in the United States to obtain a Federal Communications Commission license to operate biomedical telemetrya process that sends medical information from the ambulance to the emergency room using spaceage technology This allowed SGMCs EMTs to treat patients enroute to the hospital To this day EMS proudly displays FCC license 00001

Also in 1972 Lowndes County passed another bond issue to expand and modernize SGMC The 23 million construction program was completed in 1975 The new areas included an 8bed medical intensive care unit an 8bed surgical intensive care unit neonatal intensive care unit 49bed orthopedicneurosurgical unit new laboratory expansion of the Emergency Room and Xray department and modernization of several other areas of the Center The number of licensed beds increased to 288

The South Georgia Medical Center Foundation was created in 1978 to accept contributions on behalf of SGMC The seed money used to start the Foundation was donated by the Kate Bentley Trust Over the years many generous individuals have given in excess of 6 million to benefit the services and facilities at SGMC

In the fall of 1982 the biggest expansion and renovation in the hospitals history was begun This 26 million expansion took two years to complete It added a north and west tower which opened for business in July 1984 the new towers added lots of patient rooms new operating suites new nursery facilities central supply and pharmacy a large business office cafeteria and new lobby space

The Medical Center renovated the last remaining original area of Pineview General Hospital when the Labor and Delivery Suite was modernized in the mid 80s When the renovation was completed the area was renamed The Birth Place and it quickly became the birthing center of choice for area moms The modernization featured four birthing rooms called LDRs for labor delivery and recovery Traditional separate rooms for labor delivery and recovery were also available A Cesarean Section room allowed Csections within the unit

In early 1986 a Cancer Treatment Center was opened on the east end of the hospital campus A radiation oncologist was recruited and radiation oncology became a mainstay of cancer treatment along with surgery Several years later the center added medical oncology to offer all three cancer treatment modalitiesradiation oncology hematologymedical oncology and surgery

Hospice of South Georgia was started in 1987 as a supportive care system for persons with limited life expectancy By providing skilled nursing care and other clinical services in the home Hospice treats the physical emotional social and spiritual needs of the patient and helps the family both during and after the illness Hospice recently celebrated its 18th anniversary

SGMC opened an expanded Intensive Care Unit ICU on 5South in 1987 A new rehabilitation department was completed and the emergency department was expanded and renovated with a new design incorporating a minor care area separate from the Emergency Care Unit

With an increasing need for office space SGMC purchased the Doctors Building in October of 1986 from a group of private investors Over the next few years many nonpatient care departments moved into this facility to free up valuable square footage in the main building

In the late 1980s SGMC completed a 13 million expansion and renovation of its laboratory A key expansion component was the Laboratory Information System which helped manage the increasing volumes of tests Today the fullyautomated lab uses stateoftheart technology and robotics to perform over 1500000 tests annually

The Emergency Department was renovated in 1987 to add more beds and incorporate a 5room minor care area The minor care area quickly outgrew its corner of the ED and was relocated to a larger facility on the corner of Ashley and Cowart Streets

In 1990 the SGMC Foundation announced a goal of 1 million to help pay the initial construction costs of the 6 million senior living facility Langdale Place A generous lead gift of 250000 from the Langdale family resulted in the center being named in memory of family matriarch Thalia Lee Langdale

The threestory 60000 squarefoot center located off of Eager Road was designed for ambulatory senior citizens who require minimal medical care and attention A twostory annex opened in 1997 and The Palms a dedicated Alzheimers wing with 24hour supervision opened in 2003

Convenient Care Valdosta opened in 1993 as a selfcontained walkin ambulatory care center to treat patients with minor injuries or illnesses In addition to eight exam rooms and five observation rooms the facility has its own Xray and lab facilities so testing can be performed onsite Convenient Care sees approximately 60 patients a day Hours of operation are Monday through Sunday from 11 am to 11 pm

Responding to a growing trend in outpatient services SGMC opened its new 54 million Outpatient Center in 1994 The 25000 squarefoot center was built adjacent to the hospitals surgical suites The facility allows lab work Xrays EKGs and anesthesiology consultations to be carried out in one location A 24bed Outpatient Nursing Unit was built to accommodate our sameday surgery patients

One of the most exciting and ambitious projects in recent history was the construction of the Pearlman Comprehensive Cancer Center PCCC Completed in 1995 the stateoftheart 55 million facility joined medical oncology and radiation oncology into one stateoftheart facility The PCCC is acclaimed nationally for its design and offers many features such as a patient library activity room nutrition center and an onsite satellite pharmacy and laboratory All standard modalities of cancer treatment are provided as well as clinical trial protocols

The Cardiology Center opened in September 1996 on 3South The renovation consolidated cardiac diagnostic testing heart catheterization a monitor bank a 19bed Cardiac Progressive Unit and an eightbed Cardiac Intensive Care Unit onto one floor Electrocardiograph EKG testing four kinds of stress testing Transthoracic echocardiography Transesophageal echocardiography Stress echocardiography 24hour Holter monitoring and Tilt Table testing were provided to offer one seamless continuum of care for patients who come to SGMC with chest pain dysrhythmias abnormal rhythms angina or other cardiac problems requiring assessment and treatment

The PulmonologyNeurology Wing on 4east was remodeled in 1996 and added space for SGMCs Sleep Disorders Center The 2bed sleep lab provides diagnostic monitoring for inhospital studies Sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea narcolepsy and insomnia can have numerous health consequences if left untreated

Since 1996 SGMC has renovated five nursing units New color schemes and open work areas give the units a more modern look and meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act New furniture and equipment also increased patient and staff comfort

In 1998 the Medical Imaging Services department also benefited from the addition of a 1 million Special Procedures room and new 15 million Magnetic Resonance Imager Linen Services was also expanded to handle larger washers and boilers The mechanical plant was also expanded to provide additional heating and cooling for the facility

In March 1999 plans developed to bring Greenleaf Center a private 70bed psychiatric and substance abuse hospital into the South Georgia Health System family The contracts were finalized on May 1 1999 and SGMC assumed ownership of the facility SGMC closed the psychiatric wing at the main hospital and consolidated its behavioral health services at the Greenleaf facility on Pineview Drive Greenleaf currently operates as a department of SGMC and provides programs for children adolescents and adults with chemical dependency or emotionalbehavioral problems

SGMC opened a Wound Healing Clinic in May 1999 The next year a Diabetes Management Center was added in the same location and the facility became known as the SGMC Specialty Clinics Today the Wound Healing Clinic offers specialized treatment of nonhealing chronic wounds often caused by poor circulation andor diabetes The Diabetes Management Center provides comprehensive patient evaluation and treatment of diabetes and diabetes related conditions

In 2000 SGMC opened Convenient Care South a walkin clinic located at 520 Griffin Avenue The clinic provides occupational medicine services and walkin treatments for minor illnesses and injuriesAnother milestone renovation was the threeyear project to consolidate all of Women amp Childrens Services on to one level of the hospital Beginning in 1999 the Pediatrics Unit was moved to 2East Renovation followed to relocate the Post Partum unit to 2South In 2002 eight new labordeliveryrecovery LDR rooms and a 15bed gynecologyurology unit were added to complete the redesign project Stateoftheart technology and safetyandsecurity systems were installed to provide a higher level of security in a patientfriendly environment

When the Valdosta City Schools decided to vacate the old Sallas Mahone School property south of our Emergency department SGMC saw a wise investment opportunity The property was purchased from the Valdosta City Schools in 2001 and the old school buildings were demolished in 2002

The Dasher Memorial Heart Center opened in November 2001 after a threeyear battle to win State Certificate of Need approval for the programs implementation Receiving the CON allowed SGMC to expand cardiology services to include interventional cardiology and open heart surgical services Funded in part by a 15 million SGMC Foundation capital campaign the heart center offers invasive and noninvasive diagnostic procedures balloon angioplasty and stent placements cardiac catheterizations and open heart surgeries including valve replacements and bypass operations Specialized patient care is provided on 3south SGMCs dedicated cardiac floor which provides an 8bed cardiac intensive care unit and a 19bed cardiac stepdown unit In April 2002 a hightech Chest Pain Evaluation Unit was added to our Emergency department and a second cardiac catheterization lab was opened on 3south

SGMC constructed its Open MRI Center next to Convenient Care Valdosta in 2002 SGMC is the only healthcare provider in Valdosta to offer both highfield strength 15 Tesla and lowfield strength 02 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging The new facility offers easy patient access and a comfortable open magnet for individuals that find the conventional round MRI to tight and confining

Also in 2002 Patient Care Services asked that 5east which was closed when Greenleaf was purchased be turned into an Intermediate Care Unit IMCU for patients requiring a higher degree of skilled nursing care but not the 2to1 nursing ration found in intensive care Renovations were quickly completed and the IMCU became operational in 2003

In August 2003 SGMC began the completion of the shell space that was formed when Labor amp Delivery was expanded in 2002 A new administrative suite and a larger nicer food court called the Spice of Life were built The Dasher Memorial Heart Center also opened two alldigital cardiac catheterization labs to better meet the needs of individuals receiving diagnostic caths angioplasty and stents

As we celebrate our 50th anniversary one thing is certainour prime motivation is serving the residents of this community Today we are a totally integrated health system We offer inpatient and outpatient medical care inpatient and outpatient behavioral health a Level II trauma center two ambulatory care clinics a pediatric afterhours clinic hospice diabetes and wound care clinics occupational medicine and a host of other services

In the years ahead we hope to continue our operational growth and service enhancements SGMC is proud to be the leading economic engine in Valdosta and Lowndes County generating over 415 million in annual economic impact We have distinguished ourselves by providing stateoftheart health technologies and treatments including numerous firsts in the region This dedication to medical excellence helps us to attract and retain some of the professions most talented affiliated physicians nurses and other medical professionals

Weve invested heavily in computer archival and retrieval of patient medical information In 2005 SGMC continues to move towards a totally paperless electronic medical record EMR system Key components of this multimillion dollar initiative are Medication Administration Physician Order Entry Electronic Charting and Work Management Systems EMR has improved efficiency patient safety and eliminated the vast storage requirements once needed to house paper records Today SGMC has over 1000 computers and approximately 130 systems throughout our organization Satellites link computers throughout our community and secure Internet connections allow physicians to consult with caregivers at the hospital as quickly as test results become available andor patient conditions change

To continue providing the very best patient care SGMC has several major expansion projects on the drawing board The land formerly occupied by SallasMahone School will be used for a medical office building an ambulatory surgery center and a freestanding imaging center The three projects represent an investment of approximately 30 million Public bonds will be issued to finance these projects

In January of 2005 SGMC opened its fifth ambulanceEMS station This station located on Enterprise Drive provides emergeny response for nearly 90000 residents in the vicinity of Gornto Road Baytree Road Lankford Drive West Hill Avenue Old Clyattville Road Knights Ferry Road and the Azalea City Industrial Park

December 13 2005 brought changes to how SGMC answers calls A new switchboard and answering system went into effect This new system implements calls through the computer instead of the telephone New automated greetings will go into effect calls that are being held will continue to ring or be asked to continue to hold and to retrieve calls you will only have to dial the extension The phone system change brings a more professional environment and ease to those trying to reach SGMC

Pediatrics can now be found in 2west after its big move from 2east in January of 2006 This move was due to the increasing amount of children that were being seen in the unit Moving to the West side of the floor gives them 15 rooms in which seven can be semiprivate holding a maximum capacity of 22 beds

The doors to Information Technology building and Materials Management expansion were opened on Friday September 22 2006 The Information Technology building houses new clinical and business computer systems that will help SGMC store and manage information now and in the future Materials Management now has a newer and larger loading dock along with more storage space from its expansion

Ground breaking for the new Medical Office building and Surgery Center was held in May 2007 These new facilities occupy the lot that was formerly SallasMahone School on North Patterson The Medical Office building will have 75749 square feet with 20 office suites The Surgery Center will have four operating rooms 12 discharge areas and two cystoscopy rooms

The Langdale Hospice House opened its doors on June 3 2007 for those who are in need of endof life care Hospice is dedicated to keeping those with illnesses comfortable when there is no other medical treatment available The house has fifteen private rooms with round the clock service and care for its patients The Langdale Hospice House is the first of its kind in this community and provides a comfortable setting for families and patients alike

SGMC welcomed upgrades to MRI scanners in July of 2007 The mobile MRI scanner was the first to be upgraded and shortly behind it was the open MRI scanner where the 2 Tesla open magnet was replaced with a 15 Tesla long bore magnet These improvements are just one of many that will improve the hospitals care for patients

In July of 2007 SGMC introduced the multimillion dollar software automation and consulting services agreement with McKesson one of the leading healthcare services corporations in the nation SGMC decided to implement several of its products such as the Horizon Emergency Care Tracking board the Horizon Emergency Care Documentation Horizon Admin RX and the Horizon Physician Portal

A new Emergency Department opened to the public on August 27 2007 The department houses 40 plus beds including a chest pain unit The exciting renovation and expansion of this sector of the hospital brought greater care to the ValdostaLowndes county community

One and a half million dollars was given to Hospice of South Georgia and the Langdale Hospice house in August of 2008 This gift was given by Mr JY Brooks Jr in honor of his wife Louise Brooks The money was put into an Endowment Fund to ensure the gift continues to grow

Early 2009 welcomed the opening of a couple of new buildings on SGMCs campus The Professional Building opened housing the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center along with the Walkin lab They Surgery Centers doors were also opened

A child care center was opened to benefit employees of South Georgia Medical Center on April 13 2009 This child care center is the first of its kind in Valdosta Located off Bemiss Road the facility will provide care for children through a partnership with the YMCA The facility will be open 7 days a week from 630 AM to 8 PM

SGMC welcomes new rehab technology in April 2009 SGMC is one of few hospitals treating stroke victims and other patients who may suffer from upper and lower extremity paralysis The two new technologies are the NESS H200 Hand Rehabilitation System and the NESS L300 Foot Drop System Both of these technologies are provided by the Bioness Inc and will continue to advancement in helping those suffering from nervous system disease and damage

Just as generations of patients and families have passed through our doors so have generations of affiliated physicians clinical professionals ancillary staff and community volunteers whose compassion and caring have guided us through challenges and changes These individuals have been the heart and soul of SGMC As the largest economic influence in Lowndes County we know our success rests in the hands of those we serve As we look to the future we are confident our dedication and commitment to community service will continue to distinguish us for many more generations to come