SGMC-Berrien’s new and bigger Nashville ER room draws high patient traffic

By T.S. Carter

 

NASHVILLE, Berrien County, Georgia – The professionals who run SGMC Health-Berrien expected the new $15 million emergency room at the Nashville hospital to see a big spike in patient traffic.

They were correct.

“It’s a significant increase” over the former four-room emergency department, said SGMC Health public information officer Erika Bennett.

From its December 10 opening through the end of February, the expanded emergency department treated 3,100 patients, Bennett said.

“It’s definitely an increase” and bears out SGMC’s conclusion that a strong need existed for expanded emergency medical care in Berrien County.

The treatment comes from a new two-story, 28,000 square-foot building that replaces the old entrance to the hospital. Most everything is an enhancement over the older and far smaller ER that served the rural county, SGMC Health said.

In addition to the trauma center, the facility has nine rooms used for various specialties.

Several of the rooms are for behavioral health services. The rooms, Bennett said, are equipped with more security than others to protect the psychiatric patients, medical staff and others in the ER.

The ER is not a sterile scene common to many hospitals. “When you go into the facility it is very, very nice,” the spokeswoman said. “It still has that hometown feel but certainly a high level of standard.”

Uses for the top floor of the new ER department have yet to be decided, according to Bennett.“We wanted to build a facility with room to grow,” she said.

Enhanced features of the ER include larger trauma and specialty care rooms, advanced monitoring systems, and improved support spaces. With a growing number of patients treated in the Berrien ER last year, “the expansion is poised to meet future demands while delivering top-tier care,” SGMC Health said in a press release.

“Our hospital expansion and new emergency department is a significant investment in the health and well-being of the residents of Berrien County and the surrounding communities,” said Ronald E. Dean, president and CEO of SGMC Health. “Through the support of our community leaders, dedicated employees, volunteers, generous donors, and medical staff this new, fully equipped facility will serve South Georgians with advanced capabilities for decades to come.”

Meanwhile, SGMC Health is building a modern, 145,000 square-foot emergency department and trauma center at its main hospital in Valdosta. Set for completion in fall 2026, the new facility is a “big feature of our expansion,” Bennett, the spokeswoman, said.

The new ER situated right in front of the current one will include a labor and delivery department as well as a women and children services department.

 

SGMC Health-Berrien hospital’s new 28,000 square-foot emergency department in Nashville treated 3,100 patients from its opening on December 10 through February.

Enhanced features of the new Nashville ER include large trauma and specialty care rooms, advanced monitoring systems, and support spaces.

The new Nashville emergency medical department’s main waiting room is designed to have a homelike feel.