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| Name |
Coffee Regional Medical Center |
| Address |
1101 Ocilla Road |
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| Town |
Douglas |
| State |
Georgia |
| Country |
USA |
| Post Code |
31533 |
| Phone |
912 384 1900 |
| Fax |
912 383 5667 |
| Email |
jeanie.kearns@coffeeregional.org |
| Website |
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Specialization Of Coffee Regional Medical Center
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Obestetrician/Gynecologist |
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About Coffee Regional Medical Center
Coffee Regional Medical Center, Inc. operates a non-profit, acute care hospital in Douglas, GA. The new facility which opened in 1998 replaced the original facility constructed in Coffee Co. in 1953. The 170,000 square foot facility is designed with 88 inpatient beds and expanded outpatient service areas to promote multi-level patient care. CRMC was awarded "Hospital of the Year 2001-2002" by the GA Alliance of Community Hospitals; "Georgia Rural Hospital of the Year" 2000-2001, and most recently received the "Best in Value Award" from Data Advantage, LLC for our achievements in quality, affordability, efficiency and patient satisfaction.
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History Of Coffee Regional Medical Center
Serving our community since 1953
Douglas and Coffee County grew rapidly during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Trained medical care had been limited to the efforts of Dr. Jefferson Wilcox and Dr. William Sibbett who arrived in Coffee County in the late 1800's in the wake of the typhoid epidemic. Before that, families had to make do with home remedies and the occasional "herb doctor." According to local history, one of the earliest settlers to Coffee County was Dr. John Barber, who resided in Douglas for 18 years and open Coffee County's first hospital, albeit a temporary one, in 1862, in his home to combat an outbreak of small pox.
In 1908, Dr. Charles Roberts and Dr. Will Sibbett organized the effort that would build and open the Douglas Surgical Institute. The Infirmary opened in 1909 in the building now used as the Courthouse Annex. At a cost of $18,000 funding was raised by prominent citizens including Dr. Roberts, Dr. Welchel and Dr. Terrell, Mr. B.H. Tanner and Mr. John Marshall Ashley. The infirmary opened with 30 beds and a staff of two nurses. The infirmary closed its doors in 1916 leaving Douglas without a hospital.
Following the virulent influenza pandemic in 1918, Dr. Thomas Clark and Dr. John Smith began to plan for a new hospital. In 1922 the two doctors leased the second floor of the Dent Building, purchased modern hospital equipment and announced that any local doctor could use the facility. The new Clark-Smith sanitarium was very busy and expanded to include other floors. In 1928, after several years of treating indigent care without outside financial support, the doctors had to close the sanitarium.
By 1932, the Douglas Public Health Department was recognized by the state for a vigorous health campaign that all but wiped out typhoid fever, malaria and diphtheria in the areas which include Coffee, Jeff Davis, Bacon and Atkinson counties. In February of 1932, two nurses remodeled a home on the corner of Madison and Jefferson (now the sight of Becky's Antiques): Mrs. Carolyn Bailey of Athens and Miss Francis lance of Blairsville. The Lance-Bailey Clinic, sometimes called the Douglas Hospital opened March 1932. The small medical clinic continued for a couple of years and paved the way for the first real hospital in Coffee County
In 1934 the City of Douglas represented by Mayor Lonnie Pope and Dr. W.L. Hall donated land on East Ward Street for construction of the new Douglas Hospital. The building was constructed by R.N. McEachren of Valdosta, a former Douglas resident who had built the Ashley-Slater home. (This building later housed the public library and the Board of Education and currently serves as the Alternative School). At a final cost of $30,000, the facility opened in June 1935. Within one decade this hospital became overcrowded and needed expansion. In 1946, recognizing a need for expanded hospital facilities, a new Hospital Commission was created with representation through the county. Within days the commission became the Coffee County Hospital Authority and the began to seek federal funds through the recently passed Hill-Burton Act that required local matching funds. The bonds issue, requesting taxpayers provide local matching funds, was placed on the ballot in June of 1949 where it passed overwhelmingly. The Authority membership at this time included representation from Coffee County: Luther Roberts, Lonnie A. Pope, Steve Davis, and N.E. Holton, who would be named chairman, and, from the City of Douglas representation: Dan G. Clough, Marvin J. Williams, Charles Anderson, Emmett Roberts and Andrew Tanner
The new facility located on West Ward Street would be a three-story, 60 bed structure. The construction completed in 1953 at a cost of almost one million dollars. The ribbon cutting was held October 11, 1953 with Herman Talmadge as the keynote speaker. Gov. Talmadge dedicated the building by saying, "it is not only one of the most beautiful, but also the most modern and best equipped hospitals in the country." He added, "Your hospital here shows what is possible with cooperation."
Renovations continued each decade adding more beds and modern technology. In early 1968 the name changed to Coffee General Hospital. And by 1975 there were 155 beds, and intensive care unit and an emergency room. Administrative and diagnostic radiology wings were added in 1983 completing the expansion on the 1953 building
In the late 1980's Acute Health Care building codes changed to the extent it was difficult for a facility built in the 1950's to keep up. Early in the 1990's it was decided to explore the feasibility of replacing the 1953 building.
In the spring of 1994 the hospital Authority voted to restructure Coffee Regional by forming a community based, non-profit corporation. As then Authority Chairman Norman Fletcher stated, "The new non-profit corporate structure with allow the hospital to be financially self-sufficient and be legally independent from the county thus protecting the taxpayers from future liability for the hospital." The Authority included Norman Fletcher, Chairman; Arthur Johnson, Vice-chair; Tullis Allen; Krishnan Chalam, M.D.; Farrell Harper; Jon Lott; and Voncile Mille: The vision of this group was the catalyst for the construction of the new Medical Center
The current Medical Center, that opened in June of 1998 is 170,000 square feet and is approximately fifty percent bigger that the 1953 structure.
This all brings us to the New Millennium. All that has gone before has prepared us for today. Coffee Regional Medical Center's efforts can be summed up within its Mission Statement. "Mission Statement": To be the recognized regional center of health care excellence in South Georgia through the promotion of health, and the delivery of health related services. We will work as a community partner providing quality, cost-effective, personal and progressive health care
According the Mr. George Heck, President/CEO, "Today we are one of the most technically advanced facilities of our kind in the State of Georgia. In addition, we are the only new medical center built in Georgia in the 1990's. Our digital technology allows us confer with other medical professionals wither across the street or across the country. We have over 700 health professionals to service the regional and we are prepared to grow with our community
Coffee Regional Medical Center has positioned itself for the twenty first century. We recognize in order to have a strong community, the health care system must remain strong. The Medical Center is committed to health and wellness in our region."
This history of healthcare in the region reflects the public's commitment to improvement," states CRMC, Chairman Jim Cottingham, "With continues community support the future is bright."
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