Saint Joseph’s East Georgia is celebrating its first year of operation as part of Saint Joseph’s Health System with a community open house during Hospital Week in May, as well as hosting the Greene County Chamber of Commerce ‘Business After Hours’ program. Plans for the open house, tentatively scheduled for May 14, are being finalized.

“We want community members to come and see the renovations and improvements to the hospital,” said Mike Huff, president of Saint Joseph’s East Georgia. “It also will give the hospital leadership an opportunity to meet with all those who have supported and helped us have such a successful first year.”

Since acquiring the hospital in 2008, Saint Joseph’s has invested approximately $1 million at the facility, adding the latest medical equipment and technology.

Operating room, patient rooms, lobby, patient registration and emergency room areas have been remodeled. In addition, Saint Joseph’s East Georgia has expanded emergency services to 24/7, provided advanced training to staff and added critical-care trained registered nurses. Saint Joseph’s East Georgia has completed many technology upgrades and is a primary provider of outpatient radiology services including MRI, mammography, ultrasound, bone densitometry and echocardiograms. Saint Joseph’s offers an extensive menu of in-patient and out-patient surgical services and procedures including colonoscopy, eye surgery, urological surgery, vascular and orthopedic surgery. The hospital also offers a wide range of physical and occupational therapy programs, respiratory therapy including EKG and sleep studies, and radiology and laboratory services.

“The medical staff has grown to approximately sixty physicians and we continue to add more,” says Huff. “We’ve also added a full-time, physician and community relations director to the administrative team to help us develop relevant programs and services.”

A community philanthropy campaign is under way to raise $15 million to provide furnishings, equipment, and fund indigent care and clinical research programs for a new, state-of-the-art hospital that Saint Joseph’s Atlanta plans to build in the Lake Oconee area. Campaign volunteers are working in partnership with Saint Joseph’s to support the new hospital, which will offer the latest diagnostic, surgical and outpatient services. Without everyone’s participation, it will not be financially feasible for Saint Joseph’s, a non-profit hospital, to go forward with this much needed project.

Donations are tax-deductible and pledges may be made over five years. For questions or to make a pledge, please call Saint Joseph’s Mercy Foundation at (706) 999-9920.