New Hospital Brings Permanent Facility to Tornado-Hit Area

RICHMOND, Va. — The new Phoebe Sumter Medical Center, a 183,000-square foot replacement hospital for a tornado-ravished facility, recently opened its doors in Americus, Ga.

On March 1, 2007, an EF-3 tornado hit the city of Americus causing millions of dollars in damage to the community — including the destruction of the Sumter Regional Hospital, owned and operated by the Americus & Sumter County Hospital Authority.

In the aftermath of the tornado, the hospital staff launched into recovery mode in a joint effort with the federal and state emergency management agencies, setting up a temporary healthcare facility first through medical tents used by the army, then shifting into modular buildings designed for outpatient tests and minor care issues.

Inpatient care and major medical services required patients to go to neighboring communities.

In April 2008, the hospital shifted to prefabricated units typically used for military living made by Italy-based manufacturer Cogim — used for the first time to build a hospital. The units put together established a 71,000-square foot replacement hospital.

Shortly after, the hospital partnered with the Phoebe Putney Health System in an agreement to build a new hospital to replace the original facility, in cooperation with Richmond, Va.-based facilities advisory firm KLMK.

The new replacement hospital campus is located on a 282-acre green-field site with three specialty clinic buildings totaling 52,000 square feet.

The 76-bed hospital features all private rooms and is in the application process to obtain LEED Silver certification.

Nashville, Tenn.-based Greshman Smith & Partners served as the architect on the project, with Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie as the construction manager.

A groundbreaking for the new hospital took place in 2009, followed by construction for the medical campus beginning in 2010. The new medical center opened its doors on Dec. 16, 2011.

Marcus Johnson, the medical center’s director of marketing and public relations, said the new hospital offers modern facilities after the area’s lack of a proper facility for the last four years.

“We’re still trying to, of course, get over the tornado, and it was basically like you were running two hospitals at the same time,” Johnson said. “You’re running the one you were in and trying to get ready for the one you were going to move to in a few years — that was the biggest challenge.”

The medical center is also working on recruiting doctors, many of who left after the 2007 tornado.

“We’re just trying to have a sense of normalcy,” he said.

The new hospital offers brand new equipment and is designed to be environmentally friendly, Johnson said.

“It feels like the hospital is on the cutting edge,” he said. “You wouldn’t be able to find better equipment in the U.S.”