2008 Woodie Awards
USA Children's and Women's hospital expansion plans progress
Derek Bagley
Senior Reporter
Issue date: 4/2/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The University of South Alabama Children's and Women's Hospital has seen a lot of growth over the last few years and will soon expand to accommodate the increase in patients, but those plans are still in the initial stages, University officials said.
USA has been acquiring property in the area surrounding that hospital and the Mobile Infirmary for the last 10 years with the goal of developing that property into a medical district. The area will include an improved Children's and Women's Hospital and the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
"We are in the very, very preliminary stages of examining the possibilities of expansion at Children's and Women's," USA Hospital Spokesman Bob Lowry said.
Lowry said that hospital has had a "significant increase" in patient activity over the past few years, and expansion is needed.
"While we're very happy with that," Lowry said, "with more people in the community choosing Children's and Women's, we also want to be sure that we are appropriately sized to manage both the customers that we have now and those that we anticipate coming in the future."
Lowry said that the hospital has seen an increase in the number of babies delivered at Children's and Women's.
"We're looking at probably having around 3,000 babies delivered here this year," he said, "which is about twice as many as any other hospital in town. For us it continues the significant increase that we've had."
Because the plans for expansion are still in the initial stages, Lowry said he could not get into specifics about improvements in services or technology.
"We're gathering information, and we're going to use that information to make the best decisions for expansion, how much we're going to expand and what shape and form that will take," he said.
Lowry said he's not certain in what area of the hospital growth trends will continue.
"I don't know where the growth would take place," he said, "and that's another reason why the information that was mentioned at the meeting was just to announce that we realize that there's been some strong growth here, and it's time to look at what we're going to do about it."
Last year, The Vanguard questioned the University's purchases of land surrounding the Children's and Women's Hospital and Mobile Infirmary. Rhonda Ledbetter, a University employee, had been buying property and selling it to USA. This raised some eyebrows, as some asked the question of whether Ledbetter's position as a state employee was beneficial to her knowledge of the property and helped her earn a profit, which is illegal.
University officials assured The Vanguard that the land was purchased legally, saying that Ledbetter had no control over the land USA bought and was therefore completely within the law.
Lowry said he did not know whether the University is still in talks with Ledbetter or whether USA would continue to do business with her when it comes time to expand.
USA has been acquiring property in the area surrounding that hospital and the Mobile Infirmary for the last 10 years with the goal of developing that property into a medical district. The area will include an improved Children's and Women's Hospital and the Mitchell Cancer Institute.
"We are in the very, very preliminary stages of examining the possibilities of expansion at Children's and Women's," USA Hospital Spokesman Bob Lowry said.
Lowry said that hospital has had a "significant increase" in patient activity over the past few years, and expansion is needed.
"While we're very happy with that," Lowry said, "with more people in the community choosing Children's and Women's, we also want to be sure that we are appropriately sized to manage both the customers that we have now and those that we anticipate coming in the future."
Lowry said that the hospital has seen an increase in the number of babies delivered at Children's and Women's.
"We're looking at probably having around 3,000 babies delivered here this year," he said, "which is about twice as many as any other hospital in town. For us it continues the significant increase that we've had."
Because the plans for expansion are still in the initial stages, Lowry said he could not get into specifics about improvements in services or technology.
"We're gathering information, and we're going to use that information to make the best decisions for expansion, how much we're going to expand and what shape and form that will take," he said.
Lowry said he's not certain in what area of the hospital growth trends will continue.
"I don't know where the growth would take place," he said, "and that's another reason why the information that was mentioned at the meeting was just to announce that we realize that there's been some strong growth here, and it's time to look at what we're going to do about it."
Last year, The Vanguard questioned the University's purchases of land surrounding the Children's and Women's Hospital and Mobile Infirmary. Rhonda Ledbetter, a University employee, had been buying property and selling it to USA. This raised some eyebrows, as some asked the question of whether Ledbetter's position as a state employee was beneficial to her knowledge of the property and helped her earn a profit, which is illegal.
University officials assured The Vanguard that the land was purchased legally, saying that Ledbetter had no control over the land USA bought and was therefore completely within the law.
Lowry said he did not know whether the University is still in talks with Ledbetter or whether USA would continue to do business with her when it comes time to expand.
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