Americus gains new physician practice

AMERICUS, Ga. (WALB) - Dr. Malcolm Floyd recently moved into a building on North Lee Street to fulfill what he says was a great need for physicians in the Americus area.

The building was previously occupied by Dr. Fleming Burroughs. Burroughs came to Americus in the 80s. A time when Black physicians were needed. Floyd says this is a full-circle moment.

“Dr. Burroughs mentored me when I first got to Americus from afar,” Floyd said. “And when he decided to retire or when he decided to become a hospitalist back in 2010-2012, he recommended a lot of his patients to me. And so I took over the care of a lot of his patients that he saw in the clinic.”

Floyd said this isn’t the only reason he opened up his own practice.

“I work at the Sumter Faith Clinic once a month. So it’s pretty much for people who don’t have access to healthcare. Who don’t have insurance,” he said. A lot of people who come out here, don’t even know that they have a physician who practices in Americus at the hospital because they don’t have access to the hospital.”

Floyd said he was shocked by the disconnect.

“That moved me, because a town this size, you wouldn’t think that there would be an access issue,” Floyd said. “But there actually is. And so patients would ask me ‘Who are you?,’ and ‘Where do you practice?,’ ‘How long have you been here?’ And I’ve been practicing here since 2012 and so that told me well, there is a need because they just don’t have access to that part of Americus. Transportation issues.”

Floyd said since opening, he’s spotted several health issues in the community.

“I’m a family physician, so any critical issue from diabetes to COPD to high blood pressure. To CHF to chronic kidney failure. These are all issues in our community, specifically the African-American community,” he said.

He hopes now that people have a newer, more convenient location to go to for health problems, these issues can be treated.

“I think if African-Americans can see that somebody is an advocate for them, somebody who is also an African-American is an advocate for them. It just does so much more for their own involvement in their healthcare. It gives them reassurance. It gives them hope,” he said.

Floyd said his physician’s location will also have an open house and ribbon cutting on Aug. 3 for those that are interested in attending and learning more about the practice.

Copyright 2022 WALB. All rights reserved.