Keith Petersen views Americus as an engaged

community

By BETH ALSTON

beth.alston@gaflnews.com

americustimesrecorder.com

AMERICUS — Newly appointed CEO of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center and former interim, Keith Petersen met with the Times-Recorder Wednesday to talk about what’s going on with the existing facility and the new hospital.

At present, in the wake of the Nov. 2 groundbreaking ceremony, Petersen says that trees have been cleared and infrastructure work (gas lines, water lines, electricity) needs to be accomplished prior to actual construction starting.

He said the three medical office buildings are expected to be up and running by this time next year. Of those, one will house obstetrics, gynecology, pediatrics and family practice while another will house oncology and general surgeons, and the third, orthopedics, wellness, fitness and education.

While the new four-story, 76-bed state of the art medical facility is under construction, the existing medical center on Forsyth Street continues to provide medical services. Some layoffs occurred between the time of the March 2007 tornado and the partnership with Phoebe, and some of those jobs have come back, according to Petersen.

“We’ve hired some people back who were laid off, some laid off about a year ago. We’ve changed our staffing a little bit to bring some of those workers back, certified nursing assistants, some ward clerks and some RNs for various shifts,” he said.

Some doctors left the community in the wake of the destruction of Sumter Regional Hospital in March 2007, but some are coming back now and more will find the new hospital a good incentive to return when it is completed in late 2011/early 2012.

“With our hospitalist group, Dr. Frank Wilson (IV), Dr. Rick Oster and Cathy Hudson have returned,” he said, adding that Phoebe Sumter is in conversations with others about possibly returning.

He did say that John and Patti Fennessy will be in Americus in August 2010 to practice medicine, the former being an orthopedic surgeon and the latter an OB-GYN.