Crisp Regional Hospital is expanding - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Crisp Regional Hospital is expanding

Posted: Updated:
By Jay Polk - bio | email

  • More WALB News10 HeadlinesMore News Headlines

  • Monday, May 20 2013 11:25 AM EDT2013-05-20 15:25:03 GMT
    Two men, one black and one white, burst into the Petro Store at the intersection of Highway 200 and Highway 45 Sunday night, and attacked the clerk, stealing money. The victim told authorities that the
    Two men, one black and one white, burst into the Petro Store at the intersection of Highway 200 and Highway 45 Sunday night, and attacked the clerk, stealing money.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 10:54 AM EDT2013-05-20 14:54:19 GMT
    Information from the Georgia Lottery- ATLANTA – A Valdosta man has won a huge jackpot prize playing Fantasy 5. William Gilbert, 71, matched all five numbers from the May 16 Fantasy 5 drawing, winning
    William Gilbert, 71, matched all five numbers from the May 16 Fantasy 5 drawing, winning the 484,201 jackpot prize. Barretts, 6685 Bemiss Road in Valdosta, sold the Quik Pik ticket.

  • Monday, May 20 2013 10:45 AM EDT2013-05-20 14:45:59 GMT
    Thomasville Police Officers responded to Walmart in reference to a shoplifting Sunday night. Employees told police a man left the store with a shopping cart full of items without paying. The employees
    Thomasville Police Officers responded to Walmart in reference to a shoplifting Sunday night. Employees said the man pulled knife and began swing it at them. He then ran to a vehicle parked in the parking lot and attempted to leave however, but the car would not start, so he took off running.
    •   
CORDELE, GA (WALB) -

Emergency rooms are busy places at any hospital and Crisp Regional is no exception.  With growth in the county, the already hectic pace here is expected to quicken even more.

Steven Gautney, the President and CEO of Crisp Regional Hospital said, "if we look at the last 10 years, Crisp County has grown by about 6 per cent."

And it's not just locals who are expected to need care.  With traffic on the highways expected to increase, more travelers may also need top notch emergency care.

Gautney said, "we see a fair amount of trauma in this ER."

So the Crisp County Hospital Board decided that the facility needed to expand.  After a little more than a year of planning, the design for the new emergency department was finalized.  The new space will be larger than the old one - much larger.

"The ED (Emergency Department) will expand from about 3300 square feet, as it was originally configured in the 1990 construction.  It's going to expand to over 12,000 square feet."

The parking lot on the south side of the building will be taken up by the expansion and the spaces moved to other areas.

When it's done, the inside will look a little bit like the Intensive Care Unit that's already been in use for the last few years.  But while ambiance is nice, it's the technology that keeps patients alive.  The new emergency department will have the tools for the job.

Gautney said, "the nursing staff will be closer to the patients, there will be larger treatment areas. There will be areas set up to specifically treat psychiatric patients and bariatric patients."

While there will be a little extra elbow room for the current staff, higher numbers of patients will also mean a few more doctors and nurses to take care of those patients.

"As the volume goes up, we will certainly adjust the staffing to be adequate," said Gautney.

While an emergency department is not something that anyone is hoping to use, when the expansion is finished, it will be nice to know that it will be there if it's needed.

There will be a groundbreaking ceremony September 21st, with construction set to begin on September 24th.

The project is expected to cost about $6.5 million dollars and be done in about 10 months.

Copyright 2012 WALB.  All rights reserved.