Patients in Bolivar now have a brand-new hospital following the opening of a new West Tennessee Healthcare facility in Hardeman County.
The new building replaces a hospital that opened in 1974, WBBJ reported. Hospital CEO Ruby Kirby said the old building had served its purpose, but its infrastructure made it hard to keep up. "It was difficult to even plan and upgrade to be able to meet the needs of the present community and present technology," Kirby said.
The new hospital includes an upgraded CT scanner and other imaging equipment. Its emergency department has 12 rooms, three more than the previous hospital had.
There are also six inpatient rooms designed with families in mind. "They're larger. They have a comfortable bed and a sleeper sofa in case the family member decide they need to stay with them," Kirby said.
Patients can get lab work, physical therapy and cardiac rehabilitation at the Bolivar hospital. Kirby said the facility does not offer surgery, labor and delivery or intensive care, so patients needing those services may have to travel.
"We transport patients to Memphis, especially trauma patients," Kirby said. "We can send them to Jackson, or we send them to Memphis. So it just depends on the diagnosis."
Kirby said the hospital plans to use technology in the future to help keep some less critical patients closer to home, while patients who need critical care will still be transferred.
The new hospital is on Vildo Road in Bolivar. Kirby said the City of Bolivar will take ownership of the old hospital property.
West Tennessee Healthcare is the Jackson-based health system that operates hospitals and clinics across the region.
Sources: WBBJ; West Tennessee Healthcare