Southern Illinoisan from Carbondale, Illinois • Page 24

EALTH ARE 4E HE OUTHERN I LLINOISAN HURSDAY CTOBER 18,2012 THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Crossroads Community Hospital on Aug.9 in Mount Vernon. Mount Vernon booming with facilities BYSCOTTFITZGERALD THE SOUTHERN Crossroads Community Hospital is moving forward with the opening of a new three-story patient tower Aug.9,a $23 million expansion that houses radiology and respirator laboratory and admitting area on the first floor. All private patient care rooms with 57 beds total are on the second and third Debi director of marketing and public relations. are looking to recruit new physicians and that a and nephrologist have recently been added to the feel like we have a facility to recruit and retain Within the next 18 hopes to add a and an and throat physician to its said. The new expansion is part of an ambitious expansion plan that began in 1966 as a nursing home.A new hospital was erected by Illinois Highway 15 in 1981 with a name change in 1986 that was influenced by the crossing of Interstates 57 and 64 in Jefferson County.

There was and new building throughout the 1990s with a new surgical services department constructed in 1993.A master plan was developed soon after and in medical office building was erected just north of the hospital. In hospital intensive care unit was relocated to a larger space and expanded to five rooms.A new emergency department opened in 2002 with expansion of surgical services around the same said. Surgery expanded again within a 10-year period and the final step of the master plan called for construction of the three-story tower to link most of the specialty services within easy and comfortable access. not all building that gives Crossroads its reputation. The hospital ranks high on health grade charts for its hip replacement facility and infectious control standards.Many patients arrive here from out-of- state to get specialized said.

will be exciting to see what is in store in the next master plan and where Crossroads will take health care from said. scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com 618-351-5076 Crossroads growing BYLES FOR THE SOUTHERN When Lauren Craig of Marion first learned she was was facing a large number of choices everything from baby names to what type of diapers to buy.Perhaps no decision was important as whom to trust with her prenatal and all-important care once her new baby is born this month.For her chose one of the fastest-growing specialty Healthcare. From humble beginnings with four physicians and a single location in Healthcare has grown to include 22 medical providers in 14 soon to be 16 locations across the region.The practice includes midwives and six midlevel practitioners. have many different providers from many different allows almost any patient to find a caring professional they can relate Dr. Michael of the founders of Heartland really makes us different is that we travelto the outlying communities to see our patients instead of expecting them all to come to see us.

This has been extremely popular with patients who then can have procedures done in their own community hospital.It also has been a win for the community hospitals to be able to have some outpatient surgery performed in their hospital instead of losing the business to a larger regional Heartland Healthcare Marketing Director Ashton Stephens says women appreciate the wide selection of medical providers. have so many female providers; a lot of women who have OB-GYN needs want a woman provider to care for now have 17 female Craig says the option of having a more natural childbirth attracted her to Heartland Healthcare. liked the idea of using a also like that there are so many I can go to the one that is most convenient for Those locations stretch from Belleville to McLeansboro and Metropolis to Flora.Even with facilities are in smaller can get the full range of services. has everything and more for healthcare that you could find in a large expertise includes high-risk obstetrical care, robotic laparoscopic incontinence surgery and in office proceduresfor sterilization and abnormal Services include the latest in adds. patientsexperience the best in technology while staying as personalized as possible.We have modern new offices with electronic medical records and the best ultrasound allows all of our patients to experience seeing their bundle of joy in telephone call to our office is answered by a person instead of a machine with lunchtime being no Craig says exactly what she has experienced.

have been extremely helpful to me from the time I walked in the door.They have been there for anything I could ask for.The 4D ultrasound was a really neat experience.I loved being able to see what the baby looks like before we get to meet HEARTLAND HEALTHCARE 22 medical providers including and mid-level practitioners 14 locations ranging from Belleville to McLeansboro and Metropolis to Flora Heartland Healthcare earning a stellar reputation BYSCOTTFITZGERALD THE SOUTHERN getting exciting for St.Mary’s Good recipient of the 2011 Gold Award winner from Illinois Performance Excellence for the health sound and notable continuous improvement principles. A $237 million Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center building project approved by Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board more than three years earlier is nearing completion for Jan. 5-6 with an official Jan.20 opening date when patients will be moved into the new facility. The new medical campus is located on Memorial adjacent to the new interchange for Interstates 57 and 64.Two of Good joint venture projects are already located on the Orthopedic Center of Southern Illinois and the Center for Comprehensive Cancer Care. truly are raising the bar for health care in Southern said Victoria and public relations director for St.Mary’s Good Samaritan Inc.in an earlier whole design of the hospital is very innovative.It will have the feel of a five-star The new center contains 134 private patient rooms designed for patient safety and comfort.It also provides space for a family area so family members and relatives can stay the night with modern conveniences available such as wireless capability for computers and flat-screen television monitors, Woodrow said.

To reduce the possibility of patient room has a shorter distance between bed and said. In addition to the safety features, there are nature elements as part of the interior design and multiple pieces of art work to enhance a healing concepts to reduce energy usage, room service menus for patients and more said. have 13 commissioned art pieces from regional artists and a two-story water said about the art pieces. There is a garden level and five new medical office building that includes a surgery center and more outpatient diagnostic services connected to the hospital.The design done by BSA LifeStructures of St.Louis/Indianapolis, accommodates a cardiac rehabilitation gym and an expanded critical care emergency department. McCarthy Building of St.Louis, Lipps Construction of Mount Vernon and Shores Builders of Centralia have been project contractors usinganywhere from 275 to 430 full-time builders and specialists during the 30-month long project.

The new center is expected to be a boon to economic development by creating many new permanent jobs by 2016.There is a demand for more physicians and people to fill full- time office jobs. The increased size of the center employment pool is projected to create more than $11 million in salaries and said. scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com 618-351-5076 St. Good Sam honored for work THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO Construction work is shown at Good Samaritan Regional Health Center in Mount Vernon..