New management at Hutcheson Medical Center in Fort Oglethorpe says it is slowly being restaffed with additional services.
Hutcheson re-opened for patient services on Dec. 22 under a management services agreement with ApolloMD.
Officials said, "The ApolloMD staff, which includes over 80 former Hutcheson employees, have been working hard to ensure the care provided is both high-quality and patient-focused.
"ApolloMD plans to use a phased approach for re-opening Hutcheson Medical Center. To date, there is a small inpatient service and an Emergency Department which is fully functional. Vital services, including laboratory, pharmacy, radiology and other diagnostic and ancillary services, are all operating. The hospital staff, medical staff and ApolloMD are diligently working together on plans to expand inpatient and other services in the coming year in ways that best meet the needs of the community."
Jessica Tribbett, ApolloMD senior vice president of Operations, said, “We are committed to the mission of Hutcheson to provide outstanding, quality patient care for Fort Oglethorpe and surrounding areas. We have a unique opportunity to develop a care model that fits the needs of the community. We are beginning the process of assessing those needs and recognize that the involvement of the community is invaluable as we move forward. We must be intentional and thoughtful about how and when we re-open services so that we can provide the right care at the right time.”
Regular updates will be provided to the community as plans are developed and implemented, she said.
“Re-opening a hospital, especially in such a short period of time, is no easy task,” said Boykin Robinson, M.D., ApolloMD divisional president. “We were fortunate to retain many employees with invaluable facility and operational knowledge. Together with our corporate team, great strides have been made. We have only just begun, but we all should be very proud of what we have accomplished thus far.”