Forsyth Medical Center

Infobox Hospital
Name = Forsyth Medical Center
Org/Group = Novant Health


Caption =

Location = Winston-Salem
Region = Forsyth County
State = North Carolina
Country = US
HealthCare = HMO, POS, PPO/EPO, Workers' Compensation, Medicaid, Medicare
Type = Tertiary care
Speciality = General
Standards = JCAHO
Emergency = Level I
Affiliation= Wake Forest University
Duke University, research
Beds = 847 Licensed Beds
Founded = 1914 as the Twin City Hospital
1964 as Forsyth Medical Center
Closed =
Website = http://www.forsythmedicalcenter.org
Wiki-Links = |

Forsyth Medical Center is a not-for-profit, tertiary care hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States, that offers a full range of medical, surgical, rehabilitative and behavioral health services. What began as a 10-bed community hospital in 1887 has grown to be one of largest hospitals in North Carolina.

Services

Centers of Advanced Medicine

;CancerThe Derrick L. Davis Forsyth Regional Cancer Center uses the latest drugs and treatments under development through their participation in national clinical trials and research efforts, with a research affiliation with Duke University Health System. Their specialties are Bladder Cancer, Brain Cancer, Breast Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Gynecologic (GYN) Cancer, Leukemia, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Prostate Cancer, Skin Cancer, and Testicular Cancer.

;Cardiac and vascularForsyth Cardiac and Vascular Center services include open heart surgery, coronary artery bypass, valvular, valve repair and replacement, cardiac catheterization, coronary CT angiography, angioplasty, and intracoronary stents.

;OrthopaedicsForsyth Regional Orthopaedic Center, which has facilities at both Forsyth Medical Center and Medical Park Hospital, provides specialty services devoted to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and diseases of the body's musculoskeletal system. The center has a 45-bed nursing unit with a 10-bed specialty joint replacement unit and outpatient surgical suites. With a therapy gym located directly on the nursing unit, they were the first center in the region to develop a total joint unit offering an interdisciplinary approach to care.

They perform more joint replacements at Forsyth than any other medical center in the region and are ranked as one of the best 100 hospitals for orthopedic services. [(2000). " [http://www.100tophospitals.com/studies/ortho00/winners 100 Top Hospitals: Orthopedic Benchmarks for Success] " "Solucient 100 Top Hospitals, Current Study Publication". Retrieved on 2007-10-11.]

;RehabilitationWhitaker Rehabilitation Center provides a wide array of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services to help patients regain independence lost to disease, injury, or surgery. Their staff includes rehabilitation nurses and therapists, a physiatrist (trained in rehab medicine), psychologists, social workers, and registered dieticians.

;Women's healthThe Sara Lee Center for Women’s Health offers an array of services that focus on all lifestages women's health. As the second largest birthing center in the state, more than 6,600 births are performed each year. [" [http://www.winstonsalembusinessinc.com/livingworking/healthcare.html Winston-Salem Health Care] ". "WinstonSalemBusinessInc.com". Retrieved on 2007-10-11.] The NICU at Forsyth is staffed with neonatologists from Brenner Children’s Hospital, which is part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. [" [http://www.brennerchildrens.org/Featured_Articles/NICU.htm Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] ". "BrennerChildrens.org". Retrieved on 2007-10-11.]

;Stroke and neurovascularThe Forsyth Stroke and Neurovascular Center diagnoses and monitors patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), brain aneurysms, brain tumors, stroke and other neurovascular conditions. Their physicians routinely conduct clinical trials to develop new and improved techniques for patient care.

"Other Services"

*Behavioral HealthForsyth Medical Center Behavioral Health staff of psychiatrists, RNs, psychiatric technicians, counselors, recreational therapists and clinical social workers offer programs including crisis intervention, inpatient care, day partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, & outpatient counseling.

*Breast ClinicAccredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), The Breast Clinic was founded in 1975 by the late Dr. T.W. Littlejohn who, along with his associates, was among the first to recommend regular mammograms as an early detection meathod for breast cancer. Today, the Breast Clinic has a comprehensive, state-of-the-art breast imaging center offering a full array of diagnostic services and is one of the largest single-site breast imaging centers in the Southeast.

*Diabetes & NutritionForsyth Medical Center Diabetes and Nutrition Services offers various programs and training to those referred by their physicians. Their staff of certified diabetes educators, certified insulin pump trainers, registered nurses and registered dietitians, among others, offer these classes which are available at several locations and include comprehensive diabetes education, survival skills, gestational diabetes, outpatient insulin administration/insulin pump training, and medical nutrition therapy.

*Emergency ServicesOn October 26, 2004, Forsyth Medical Center opened its new emergency department (ED). At convert|55000|sqft|m2|sing=on, they are able to treat up to 110,000 patients annually. It is split into six units::*26 major treatment beds, for life-threatening situations.:*21 minor treatment beds, for situations that are not life-threatening but could become so if not treated promptly.:*12-bed clinical decision unit, for 23-hour observation without admission.:*10 express admission beds, for non-critical patients admitted to the hospital.:*8 fast track beds, for minor illness and injuries.:*3 behavioral health beds, for those with mental or emotional distress.

*Home Health ServicesThrough an affiliation with Advanced Home Care, a non-profit organization specializing in providing a full range of home health care services, Forsyth Medical Center is able to provide home health services and equipment to patients who do not need the full resources of a hospital.

*RadiologyForsyth's radiology team of physicians, nurses, technologists and sonographers offer the full scope of radiological services, which are available at various Forsyth Medical Center affiliates and several imaging centers in the Piedmont Triad area.

*Respiratory ServicesWith 40 rooms and a staff of licensed respiratory care practitioners, skilled nurses and six board-certified pulmonologists, Forsyth Medical Center's respiratory services offers diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for conditions ranging from asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, thrombo-embolic disease, smoking and interstitial lung disease. They have the largest medical floor dedicated to the care of patients with lung disease in the state. Specialty services available include a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic bronchoscopy services, chest surgery services, pulmonary function testing, mechanical ventilator support, non-invasive ventilator support, pulmonary rehabilitation, and the Better Breather's Club.

*Sleep CenterForsyth Sleep Center plays an important role in detecting, evaluating and treating a wide range of sleep-related problems. They conduct sleep studies-or polysomnograms-to evaluate sleep patterns in patients who may suffer from sleep disorders. These studies involve a detailed observation of the patient's breathing, heart rate, brain waves and body movements while they sleep.

*Wound Care ClinicThe Wound Care Clinic has programs dedicated to chronic wounds and wounds associated with diabetes and poor circulation.

History

In 1887, women in the then separate towns of Winston and Salem formed a small group and organized the Ladies Twin City Hospital Association to raise funds for the community's first hospital. Within six months, they had used money saved from their household funds to open up a 10-bed hospital inside a home, known as the Grogan House, where patients could be hospitalized for $5 a week. They went to people's homes and community meetings to raise money from anyone who would give them a contribution, and they asked the mayors of both Winston and of Salem to give $12 a month toward the effort.

By the early 1890s, the Grogan House was in desperate need of repair. The women increased their fundraising efforts and began to show people in the two towns how their money had been used in the past and described in detail how many people they had helped. They were able to raise $5,000 and open the Twin City Hospital with 12 private rooms, two wards and an operating room. Then, in 1912, after moving to a larger building due to overcrowding and insufficient funding, Winston voters approved bonds for a modern hospital to be constructed in the downtown area of what had become Winston-Salem. And the modern Twin City accepted its first patient in less than two years.

In 1959, voters approved a bond referendum to build a modern hospital on 77 acres along Silas Creek Parkway. Forsyth Memorial Hospital, which was owned and managed by Forsyth County, opened in 1964. Twenty years later, in 1984, Carolina Medicorp Inc. (CMI), a non-profit organization, bought the deed for the hospital property from Forsyth County. As part of the transfer agreement, the new organization was required to provide indigent care for citizens of Forsyth County.

In 1997, CMI and Presbyterian Healthcare in Charlotte, North Carolina merged to form Novant Health, which currently includes seven hospitals, three long-term care and senior residential facilities, physician clinics, outpatient surgery and diagnostic centers, rehabilitation programs and community health outreach programs. [ [http://www.novanthealth.org/about_novant_health/ Novant Health | About Novant Health ] ]

External links

* [http://www.forsythmedicalcenter.org/about_us/hospital_information/corporate_profile/index.html Forsyth Medical Center Corporate Profile]

References