It was another red letter day Tuesday for Sylacauga with the ‘topping out’ of the city’s new hospital complex.Appropriately, the final beam about to be lifted to the top of the four-story facility in a special ceremony contained the names of residents who signed it. After all, they do have a sense of ownership. It is their community hospital.
Two years ago, Coosa Valley Medical Center severed its ties with Baptist Health System and returned it to the local administration. A year ago, ground was broken for the new, 120,000-square foot hospital that will serve Sylacauga and surrounding communities.
The hospital is expected to be completed this spring, March 2007.
And when those doors open, they will open up significantly improved medical services for the area. The $28 million investment translates into 80 large patient rooms with 14-foot ceilings, a surgery room, pre- and post-surgery areas, imaging center, food service and cafeteria, loading docks, ambulance entrance and materials management area.
In the meantime, the CVMC administration has been planning with a keen eye on the future, such as adding three new physicians to the staff with more than 20 expected to be added over the next five years.
In equipment and services, officials have added a new CT scanner, mammogram technology and a sleep center.
It all means that Coosa Valley Medical Center is set to meet the medical needs of the city it so ably serves, but citizens should understand that what they see going up is more than just a hospital.
It is vision for Sylacauga’s future.
