Southern Regional Is Pulse of Region’s Health Care
Published Nov 03, 2008
Southern Regional Medical Center is a 376-bed hospital in Clayton County.
Faced with Clayton County’s growing population, Southern Regional Health System has adapted with newer technology and updated facilities at its Riverdale campus and expansion into the surrounding community.
Today, the system boasts several areas of excellence, ranging from cardiovascular care to imaging to women’s health. A building spree is bringing much of this quality care to the rest of the county.
At the heart of the system is Southern Regional Medical Center, a 376-bed community hospital that has been operating since 1971. Since that time, the area’s population has exploded – 15 percent so far this decade and nearly double from 1980 – as Atlanta became one of the nation’s biggest metros.
Southern Regional began its transformation into a health system in the early 1990s and now includes a 30-bed long-term, acute-care hospital, a 65-bed psychiatric center and home-health agency.
Through this, Southern Regional has emerged as the major hub for health care in the county and a large employer in its own right, with 2,261 workers.
Part of that growth stems from Ed Bonn, president and CEO. After coming aboard in 2000, Bonn worked to change the hospital’s culture.
“One of the major goals has been to grow Southern Regional from being a good hospital to a great hospital,” said MaryKay Gardenier, senior vice president of operations.
The hospital has won awards for delivering care and as a top employer. It has upgraded its facilities with two new operating rooms outfitted with the latest technology. Surgeons can now perform minimally invasive procedures in orthopedics, gynecology and hernia repair. A da Vinci robotic system has been introduced for surgeries, as well.
A new wound care and hyperbaric center features the most technologically advanced therapies. In addition, SRMC stands as the service area’s only hospital offering angioplasty for patients experiencing a heart attack. Plans are in the works for a specialty center for total joint replacement and spine repair.
By 2007, admissions surpassed 20,000 and emergency room visits hit 81,000, making it one of the busiest ERs in the state.
In southern Clayton County, the system bought 92 acres for Spivey Station, a “medical destination” that will serve southern portions of Metro Atlanta, says Jim Crissey, vice president of facilities and support services.
On 6.2 acres, the system has built a 60,000-square-foot medical office building and is constructing a 57,000-square-foot surgery center.
The project is part of an effort to serve residents who don’t live near the main hospital, but need outpatient imaging and surgery as well as primary care, internal care, neurology and obstetrics-gynecology.
Story by Roy Moore
Photo by Ian Curcio
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