Southwest Georgia Network

(File Photo: Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission logo by Walter L. Johnson II)

Press Release courtesy of the Georgia Economic Developers Association/Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission

ATLANTA (November 26, 2018) – The Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) recognized the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (ADEDC) for “outstanding achievement in the location/expansion of business in Georgia” among mid-size communities at its annual awards luncheon Monday in Atlanta. Albany-Dougherty County was recognized for the Georgia-Pacific lumber project, which announced in July of this year.

The project consists of a $150,000,000 capital investment and 130 new jobs in the location of a new state-of-the-art Georgia-Pacific lumber production facility.  The community was able to locate the industry at the Albany-Dougherty Industrial Park, a community-invested and pre-developed 224-acre industrial site, which proved to be the difference-maker in winning this project. This is the first new manufacturing project announcement for the community in more than 10 years.

“To win ‘Deal of the Year’ in the nation’s number one state for business is a tremendous honor for Albany-Dougherty County,” said ADEDC President Justin Strickland. “Georgia-Pacific’s new lumber production facility is a great fit for Albany and South Georgia. We are very proud to soon have another Made in Albany, GA product.”

About the Award

This is now the 12th year that GEDA has recognized major projects in the state. In what has become a major portion of the annual awards ceremony, GEDA recognizes recipients in four categories:

• Small – a county with population 50,000 and under,
• Mid-size – a county with population 50,001 – 100,000,
• Large – a county with population over 100,000,
• Regional – any multi-county effort.

The GEDA “Deal of the Year” Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the location of or expansion of business in the state of Georgia that meet community economic development goals and involve significant community program support, such as financial or permitting assistance, workforce development, and state financial support.

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About the Georgia Economic Developer’s Association

The Georgia Economic Developers Association is a nonprofit association of professionals, volunteers and supporters. The association provides networking and professional development opportunities for its members, and supports public policies that promote quality job creation and sustainable economic development throughout the state. For more information, visit www.geda.org.

About the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission

The Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission is a public-private partnership whose mission is to foster new investment and job creation through the recruitment, retention and expansion of industry for Albany-Dougherty County. For more information, visit www.choosealbany.com.

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Dougherty County School System Superintendent Kenneth Dyer spoke with the Southwest Georgia Network following the Partners In Excellence Rise N’ Shine Breakfast sponsored by the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce at the Hilton Garden Inn early Wednesday morning. He explained the purpose of the Partners In Excellence program, as well as how 2018 Partner of the Year First Baptist Church of Albany got involved with the education of our area’s youth.

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On the season finale of the High School Football Round-Up Podcast, we’ll have a brief recap of last week’s playoff action, a quick preview of this week’s playoff action, plus some final thoughts and much more.

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(File Photo)

Press Release courtesy of Phoebe Putney Health System

Albany, Ga. – As part of an overall strategy to expand and advance its Women & Children’s Department, Phoebe recently launched an OB/GYN hospitalist program.  An experienced team of six board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists are now providing expert care for mothers-to-be at Phoebe’s main campus 24-hours a day, 7-days a week.

“This program will set Phoebe apart from all other women and children’s departments in our region and will provide the safest and best care available to expectant mothers in southwest Georgia,” said William Sewell, MD, Phoebe Medical Director of Women & Children’s Services.

These highly-skilled physicians will not replace the services of an individual patient’s obstetrician, but will support and enhance those services.  The OB/GYN hospitalists provide emergency care prior to the arrival of a patient’s physician, support the care of high-risk pregnancy patients and deliver babies for patients who do not have an obstetrician and for those whose obstetricians are unable to make it to the hospital for the delivery.

“We are thrilled to bring our expertise and dedication to caring for mothers and babies to families here in southwest Georgia,” said Davis Sullivan, MD, OB/GYN Hospitalist Program Medical Director.  “We will be here to provide prompt, round-the-clock care to women in labor and pregnant women who may be experiencing difficulties, and this program underscores Phoebe’s commitment to the quality of their maternal care program.”

Phoebe’s OB/GYN hospitalist program is offered in partnership with OB Hospitalist Group, which staffs and manages programs throughout the United States.  As part of the program, Phoebe opened an OB/GYN Emergency Department.  When expectant mothers arrive at Phoebe’s main ED, they are directed to the new emergency area in the Labor & Delivery unit where they receive care from these dedicated OB/GYN specialists.

The program proved its benefits in its very first day.  Just twelve hours after the OB/GYN ED opened, an expectant mother arrived at the main emergency room in serious distress.  She was immediately transferred to the OB/GYN ED and seen right away by Dr. Sullivan.  Within 25 minutes of the patient’s arrival at Phoebe, Dr. Sullivan completed the high-risk delivery, and the mother and baby are doing well.

“The positive outcome for that family shows staffing Phoebe with hospital-based OB/GYN physicians enhances patient safety and improves the coordination and efficiency of care,” said Joe Austin, Phoebe Chief Operating Officer.  “It also should give our patients peace of mind since an OB/GYN will be available at all times to provide care.  OB Hospitalist Group has a proven track record of success.  They provided us with an outstanding group of physician candidates from which we chose a great team,” Austin added.

Phoebe is also beginning a pediatric hospitalist program to ensure children receive outstanding continuity of care during their entire hospital stay.  The hospital recently initiated a placenta donation partnership with telaGen, LLC, allowing new mothers to donate their birth tissue which can be used in many healing therapies to help other patients.  Since July, we have collected more than 100 placenta donations.  Phoebe also recently began a $4.5M renovation of its mother/baby unit.  “All of these projects clearly show our commitment to women and children,” Dr. Sewell said.  “We will continue to make major investments into projects that will enhance our service to those patients.”

On average, about 2,400 babies are delivered each year at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.  In 2017, Phoebe became only the second Georgia hospital outside metro Atlanta to earn Baby Friendly status.

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The first round of the playoffs is in the books. The second round is just around the corner. This is what you’ll hear on this week’s episode of the High School Football Round-Up Podcast:

-The first round recap.

-The second round preview.

-PLUS: Other games of interest for the second round.

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(File Photo: Courtesy of Walter L. Johnson II)

Press Release courtesy of Phoebe Putney Health System

Albany, Ga. – Phoebe’s commitment to the continuous quality process resulted in enhanced Leapfrog grades at both Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and Phoebe Sumter Medical Center.  Phoebe Sumter was awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade.  The designation recognizes Phoebe Sumter’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States.

“We are pleased The Leapfrog Group recognized our employees’ hard work and our commitment to patient safety,” said Brandi Lunneborg, Phoebe Sumter CEO.  “We are proud to offer high-quality inpatient care, as well as growing access to primary care and expanding specialty care services, to people who live in Sumter and surrounding counties.  We are also grateful to be a vital part of a larger health system that is dedicated to continuous quality improvement.”

Southwest Georgia’s safety net medical center, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital, received a ‘B’ in Leapfrog’s latest grades.  “Our ongoing quality and patient safety efforts are reflected in our latest Leapfrog Safety Grade,” said Steven Kitchen, MD, Phoebe Chief Medical Officer.  “Our current score reinforces that our persistent quality improvement efforts are working and benefiting our patients.”

Dedicated teams at Phoebe Health System hospitals are working on projects which have vastly improved multiple safety metrics that are part of the Leapfrog grading system.  Phoebe has also invested in large-scale quality improvement projects — such as the implementation of a high-intensity critical care model in all critical care units at Phoebe’s main hospital — representing best practices in the delivery of critical care medicine.

The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving healthcare quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Phoebe Sumter was one of 855 across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American healthcare. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

About Phoebe Sumter

Phoebe Sumter is a state-of-the art 183,000 square foot facility in Americus, GA opened in Dec. 2011, serving patients in Sumter, Schley, Macon, Stewart, Webster, Marion, Dooly and Taylor Counties.  It features 76 beds, all private rooms and some of the most advanced equipment and technology available.  Phoebe Putney Health System partnered with the Americus and Sumter County Hospital Authority to build the hospital campus after Sumter Regional Hospital was destroyed by a tornado in 2007.

About Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital

Made up of the main and north campuses in Albany, GA, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is a 691-bed teaching hospital and regional center for cancer treatment, cardiac medicine/surgery, gastrointestinal disease and neuro-science.  Phoebe is one of only six designated perinatal centers in Georgia and is the region’s only provider of many services including neonatal intensive care, cardiovascular surgery and radiation oncology.  As a true not-for-profit community hospital, Phoebe is operated by a volunteer board drawn from the community it serves and is constantly reinvesting in the health of southwest Georgia through programs in prevention, education and research that go beyond the bounds of traditional medicine.

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The regular season is over. The playoffs have arrived. Here’s what you’ll hear on this installment of the High School Football Round-Up Podcast:

-Regular season finale recap.

-Local teams advancing to the playoffs.

-Other first-round playoff pairings from around the area.

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(Enrique Lopez, M.D.)

(Photo courtesy of Phoebe Putney Health System)

Press Release courtesy of Phoebe Putney Health System

Albany, Ga. – Enrique Lopez, MD, was honored Tuesday night as the 2018 Phoebe Physician of the year.  Dr. Lopez came to Phoebe in August 2016 as a Critical Care Intensivist to help implement a new best practice model of care in Phoebe’s Critical Care Units.

“Dr. Lopez’ leadership has made our transition to a high-intensity model incredibly successful,” said Suresh Lakhanpal, MD, Pres. of Phoebe Physicians.  “We are dramatically improving outcomes for our most critically ill patients because of our commitment to this team-based approach to their care.  Dr. Lopez is not only a talented critical care physician, he is an incredible teacher, and he is widely regarded as one of the most compassionate doctors on our medical staff.”

Lopez inherited his love of medicine from his father, also named Enrique, who was a cardiac surgeon in Tampa, FL for many years.  He became interested in critical care medicine after watching his father struggle with, and eventually pass away from, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  “Every person that I treat, I just imagine myself being at the bedside,” Dr. Lopez said.  “I imagine my dad being in the bed, and I try to treat them just like they’re family.  Because I know what it feels like.  I know what it’s like to feel like you’ve lost everything.”

Lopez’ patients notice and appreciate that compassion.  One patient who nominated him for the Physician of the Year award wrote, “When I had my accident, he was the best.  So caring and compassionate.”  A friend of another patient’s family wrote that Dr. Lopez “was a wonderful doctor who was very patient, caring, helped the family cope with a wide array of emotions and was able to explain what was going on in terms they could understand.  Dr. Lopez made such a difference for their family.”

Dr. Lopez has also earned the immense respect of those with whom he works.  Multiple Critical Care team members nominated Lopez.  One wrote, “Dr. Lopez is a smart and caring physician.  He is very gentle and honest with patients and families.  When I work with him, I know two things.  At the end of this shift I will be exhausted, and I will know I have a made a difference.  I can make that difference because he is very clear about his plan for the day and my role in it.  He talks with families as though they were his own family.  Phoebe is better for having him.”

Dr. Lopez earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Miami before completing medical school at New York Medical College.  He finished his residency and a surgical critical care fellowship through Tufts University School of Medicine at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA before coming to Phoebe.

“When I decided to come down here it was because I knew helping fully implement high-intensity critical care could make a huge difference in this community,” Lopez said.  “We have an amazing team, and it has been a great pleasure in my life to see this program grow.”

The Physician of the Year Award honors a Phoebe physician who exemplifies a compassionate commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of southwest Georgians.  Patients, Phoebe employees and other community members submitted 131 nominations recognizing 52 outstanding physicians this year.  A panel of experts blindly reviewed all nominations before selecting Dr. Lopez as this year’s recipient.

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Listen closely for a special end of regular season edition, with final scores and seedings from games involving teams in the Southwest Georgia Network coverage area.

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