St. Mary’s Health Care System is being recognized by a state health association. The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals named St. Mary’s its hospital of the year.
The health system was chosen for the award based on its commitment to the preservation of Georgia’s network of community hospitals as well as the future of medicine.
“Healthcare is local, people need access to care where they are, so those rural hospitals like St. Mary’s Sacred Heart and St. Mary’s and Good Samaritan are vital for providing care where people live,” according St. Mary’s Public Relations Manager Mark Ralston.
He says the lack of community hospitals in some areas pose serious risks for residents.
“Without the rural hospitals, people have to travel further to receive even routine care, but particularly it’s a problem if you’re having an acute or emergency situation where you need care in a hurry such as a like a stroke or a heart attack.”
St. Mary’s Health Care System consists of three hospitals - St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro, and St. Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia – as well as assisted living, industrial medicine, outpatient and wound healing facilities.
Its Internal Medicine Residency Program is a joint effort with the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership.
The Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals works for not-for-profit facilities.
St. Mary’s is an underwriter with WUGA.
