Baptist Hospital of Worth County, Sylvester                         Page 2
"He who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked"
(John 2:6)

 

Usually when an organization comes to town, it tells citizens about what it has to offer. Not so with Baptist Hospital of Worth County in Sylvester, Georgia. When the hospital was purchased by the Georgia Baptist Health Care System in 1996, hospital managers distributed a survey to the community to determine what was needed.

In response, citizens of Sylvester and surrounding towns in Worth County asked for an emergency room that was staffed by physicians 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They asked for more physician specialists, expanded outpatient procedures and equipment, an intensive care unit and better access to health care services. They also asked for full-time nurses in the school system.

They got what they asked for. During the next three years, Baptist Hospital of Worth County drew upon its own resources and partnered with community groups to give citizens what they needed. "We want people to feel that their community is a better place to live because we’re here," said Hospital Administrator Billy Hayes. "That’s why we’re driven to get involved with community businesses, schools and other organizations. Together, we can improve the quality of life in Worth County and surrounding areas."

Prior to changing hands in 1996, the hospital was on the state of Georgia’s list of endangered hospitals and had been losing money for years. There was a good possibility that the hospital would close, which would leave the citizens of Worth County and outlying areas with no local health care. Although previous hospital owners made improvements in rehabilitation services and diagnostic equipment, there had been no intensive care unit at the hospital for 12 years. Many other vital services were unavailable from the hospital that served a population of more than 200,000 in a five-county area. Baptist Hospital of Worth County is the sole hospital for Worth and Turner counties and also serves Tift, Colquitt and Dougherty counties.


Under new management, Baptist Hospital of Worth County didn’t waste a moment. Many new and improved services have been added to the 49-bed hospital and plans are under way for continuous upgrades. In 1996, Baptist Hospital established 24-hour emergency room services. The next year, three new clinics opened to provide better access to health care. They are Baptist Worth Rural Health Center, Baptist Pediatric Rural Health Center and Worth County Family Care Center. Health Plus, the first multi-specialty clinic in the area, was built in conjunction with Tift General Hospital. The clinic offers physician specialists in orthopedics, rheumatology, cardiology, surgery and gastroenterology. The number of physicians at Baptist Hospital of Worth County increased from eight to 32. Mammography services were restored, and the first laparoscopic surgery was performed.

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