Athens Reporter

Phoebe issued the following announcement on Dec. 22. 

Phoebe is planning to embark on the largest set of construction projects on its main campus in 14 years.  It took a major early step in the process Tuesday night when the Albany City Commission approved a request to close part of W. 4th Ave. permanently to make way for the projects that would include a new emergency and trauma center, a new neonatal intensive care unit and an additional critical care unit.  The road closure will not affect other property owners and will have minimal impact on traffic since the vast majority of vehicles travelling on the 400 block of W. 4th Ave. are going to the hospital.

“We are grateful to city commissioners for their unanimous vote that paves the way for this plan which we believe is vital to our community’s health, wellbeing and growth.  We are committed to working closely with city leaders and planners as we move forward with the projects, and we look forward to the opportunity to share more details with our community soon,” said Joe Austin, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (PPMH) CEO.

With the road closure approval, the PPMH Board of Directors can move forward with a vote on the projects, followed by applications to the Georgia Department of Community Health for certificate of need approvals.  Phoebe Putney Health System President & CEO Scott Steiner said the projects are a major advancement toward fulfilling Phoebe Focus goals that the health system unveiled in August 2019.   

“As part of our Phoebe Focus strategic plan, we pledged a $250 million investment in new facilities, services and technology to elevate the healthcare available to the people of southwest Georgia.  The COVID-19 pandemic caused some delays, but it did not lessen our commitment to the communities we have the privilege of serving.  Despite the many challenges we have had to overcome throughout our COVID fight, we have continued to plan for the future, and we have made great progress on many of our Phoebe Focus initiatives” Steiner said.

Among other projects, that progress on Phoebe Focus initiatives includes:

• Achieving the goal of ensuring all inpatients in all Phoebe hospitals are cared for in private rooms
• Opening a new urgent care clinic in Lee County
• Putting two mobile wellness clinics on the roads
• Moving Phoebe Dermatology & Plastic Surgery to an expanded, stand-alone facility
• Beginning a project to significantly expand and upgrade Phoebe Orthopaedics
• Reopening Phoebe Obstetrics and Gynecology of Americus
• Signing a new clinical affiliation agreement with Atrium Health Navicent in Macon to expand access to pediatric specialty care

Phoebe has also undertaken other major improvements that were not specifically outlined in the original Phoebe Focus investments, including opening the Phoebe Simulation & Innovation Center opened.  It is one of the finest and most advanced training centers on a hospital campus in the country, and it is a vital part of Phoebe’s commitment to patient safety and workforce development. 

“We’re extremely proud of what we have been able to accomplish since we announced our Phoebe Focus initiative, despite all we have faced through the COVID crisis.  Everything we are doing is focused on our patients and improving the level of care and service we provide them, and we are excited about what is to come in the future,” Steiner said.

Original source can be found here.