Words cannot adequately describe the extraordinary year we’ve enjoyed here at Decatur General Hospital. While we are not an organization that rests on its laurels, a look back at 2004 makes us both proud of the many ways we have improved our service to the residents of Morgan County, and excited about the many projects we are continuing to work on in the coming year.
Last year brought many things to Decatur General, including the opening of our new Cardiovascular Center. Two highly skilled surgeons and an experienced dedicated cardiovascular staff were brought in to utilize the new operating rooms, specialized patient rooms, and the cardiovascular intensive care and step-down units. The new cardiac rehabilitation services, which opened last spring, was busy even before the first heart patients were admitted a few months later. Now, heart patients don’t have to travel out of Morgan County to receive first-rate care.
Other new programs begun last year include our Stroke Center, which features cooperation between the Emergency Department, Imaging, and Nursing to provide the quickest, most complete care to patients who may have suffered strokes; our Bariatric Surgery program, offered in conjunction with LivLite, gives hope to obese patients; and our new child inpatient program at Decatur General West is designed to provide the most complete care possible for children ages five to eleven.
In another effort to address the needs of our neighbors, the Community Free Clinic of Decatur-Morgan County opened in spring 2004. Staffed by volunteer nurses and physicians, the clinic provides free medical care to uninsured residents who cannot afford healthcare.
Also in 2004, construction began on Medical Plaza II, a 45,000-square-foot office building that will house the Decatur General Sleep Disorders Center and Decatur Bariatrics, as well as many doctors’ offices. The Surgery Center of Decatur, jointly owned by Decatur General and 31 local physicians, opened last spring. And the campaign to build a beautiful new, state-of-the-art Oncology Center is going strong. Employees of Decatur General went above and beyond the Employee Campaign goal of $265,000, raising $339,000 for the center’s construction.
We hope our recent accomplishments demonstrate our commitment to the residents of Decatur and Morgan County, and we are hard at work on ways to serve the community in the coming years.
