Lake Country Healthcare, Growing for Good

Forty years ago, there was no Lake Oconee, just a narrow bridge across the river dividing Putnam and Greene Counties. There was also few choices when it came to medical care. Putnam General Hospital had just opened in Eatonton, Minnie G. Boswell operated in Greensboro, and Baldwin County Hospital in Milledgeville. There were few doctors and hardly any specialists available in the local area. For specialized services, Macon, Athens , Augusta, and Atlanta offered the best options. The drawback was the time and distance it took to travel to these locations.


Today, we are blessed with modernized, state-of-the-art medical facilities within our local hospitals. Specialists have moved into the area, especially with the growth at Lake Oconee. Nevertheless, when serious health issues occur, folks still have to be transferred to the same areas we did 40 years ago. Additionally, the cost of running community hospitals has substantially increased, making it difficult for these smaller facilities to continue operating.

Over the past year, St. Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta presented a plan to take over Boswell and Putnam General hospitals. This would provide the financial underpinning necessary to keep them afloat. Additionally, St. Joseph's will build a regional hospital near Interstate 20 in Greene County to serve Greene and Putnam County residents. With the construction of a regional facility comes many more specialized services not yet available in the local area, more doctors, more clinics, more rehabilitative and therapy facilities. Additionally, with Boswell and Putnam General under the St. Joseph umbrella, many doctors will likely locate offices near the community hospital facilities to better serve the public.

While this plan is a "done deal" for the residents of Greene County, many Putnam County citizens are still balking at the idea. However, in the long run I believe that the plan will come to fruition. The benefits far outweigh the liabilities of the plan:

1. More specialized services within 12.5 versus 50+ miles.
2. More family doctors from which to choose who take your insurance (if you have it).
3. One of the top cardiac and cancer hospitals in the nation within minutes of your home.
4. Local hospitals still available to provide urgent care in emergencies.
5. Outreach programs from your regional hospital to your community.
6. Financial backing for local hospitals to continue providing exceptional service.
7. Location along a major highway to provide the quickest ground transport to Atlanta or August medical centers.
8. And many more.

I hope that we can all set aside personal biases so that this plan is implemented soon. I have personally had the opportunity to use services at the St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta. I can tell you first hand that there is no finer hospital around, and they will certainly be a great addition to our already outstanding medical care facilities.