www.piedmonthospital.org
www.memorialhealth.com
PIEDMONT HOSPITAL’S TRANSPLANT SERVICES PARTNERS WITH
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER IN SAVANNAH
TO LAUNCH SECOND SATELLITE OFFICE IN GEORGIA
Press Conference and Reception Open to Community and Media
on Friday, December 7, at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the Heart & Vascular
Institute at Memorial University Medical Center
SAVANNAH / ATLANTA (Dec. 4, 2007) – Piedmont Hospital Transplant
Services is partnering with Memorial University Medical Center (MUMC) in
Savannah to launch its second satellite clinic in Georgia in an effort
to enhance patient access to transplantation evaluation and follow-up
care.
Establishing the Savannah clinic will make care more convenient for
those patients who live outside of Atlanta, reduce Transplant
Services’ initial evaluation time from two days to one day for
kidney recipients, and shorten the pre-screening and evaluation time for
liver transplant candidates.
"We strive to offer superior medical and surgical care for our kidney,
pancreas and liver recipients and donors," said John D. Whelchel, M.D.,
medical director of Piedmont’s Transplant Services. "We strategically
selected Savannah as our second satellite clinic location and feel
confident the clinic will help improve the quality of care for our
patients, both pre- and post-transplant."
“We are excited about this opportunity for academic cooperation. The
Piedmont Transplant Clinic at MUMC will make it much easier for
transplant recipients in this part of the state to receive the pre- and
post-operative care they need. This is a wonderful service for our
community,” said Ramon Meguiar, M.D., senior vice president and chief
medical officer at MUMC.
The team will be conducting pre- and post-liver and kidney evaluations,
as well as educational classes for staff and patients interested in the
advantages and risks of transplantation. Initial candidate screenings in
the clinic will be performed by a transplant physician and/or nurse
specialist. The clinic is located in the Georgia Ear Institute, 2nd
floor, 4700 Waters Ave., Savannah, Ga., 31404. For more information or
to make an appointment, call 1-888-605-5888.
Piedmont Hospital Transplant Services provide kidney, pancreas and
liver transplants. Nearly 1,800 transplants have been performed at
Piedmont Hospital since the transplant program was launched in 1986.
Piedmont Hospital began liver transplantation in April 2005, becoming
one of only two liver transplant programs in Georgia. Piedmont is among
the top 20 of all kidney transplant programs in the country based on
total number of procedures. To date in 2007, Piedmont has recorded 164
transplants, including 102 kidney transplants, eight kidney-pancreas
transplants, and 54 liver transplants. Thirty of the 102 kidney
transplants involved living donors.
About Memorial University Medical Center
Memorial University Medical Center is a two-state healthcare
organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern
South Carolina. The system includes its flagship, Memorial University
Medical Center, a 530-bed tertiary medical center; CareOne, its
two-state home care division; Memorial University Medical Center primary
and specialty care physician networks; a major medical education
program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call
center. Memorial University Medical Center is the only healthcare system
in the country to be named both a Distinguished Hospital by J.D. Power
and Associates and one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” by
Fortune Magazine. Visit the Memorial University Medical Center Web
site at www.memorialhealth.com.
About Piedmont Hospital
A recipient of the 2007and 2006 Distinguished Hospital Award for
Patient Safety™ according to HealthGrades (a leading healthcare ratings
company), Piedmont is recognized as one of the nation’s Most Wired
hospitals in the 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 100 Most Wired Survey and
Benchmarking Study. A private, not-for-profit organization with 3,700
employees and a medical staff of more than 900 physicians, Piedmont
Hospital is a 458-bed acute tertiary care facility located on 26 acres
in the north Atlanta community of Buckhead offering all major medical,
surgical and diagnostic services. For more information, visit
www.piedmonthospital.org.