Piedmont Augusta (Ga.) is reopening the emergency department and inpatient services at its Summerville campus after converting the location into an outpatient campus over a year ago.
Effective May 16, the hospital will open 15 beds in the emergency department, 12 inpatient unit beds, and new imaging services. Outpatient services will continue as normal, according to a May 1 system news release.
"What we heard pretty quickly from our community is that they missed the efficiency of that campus," Lily Henson, MD, CEO of Piedmont's Augusta clinical hub, said in the release. "We are completing some renovations now, and are excited about being able to give the CSRA another healthcare option with room for growth and added services."
In December 2020, Piedmont closed the Summerville ED and converted the entire hospital into isolation beds for COVID-19 patients. When COVID-19 numbers declined, patients and staff were transferred back to the main campus and Summerville became an outpatient campus. The site was also used to educate and train nurses and fill other clinical roles through a partnership with Augusta Technical College's School of Allied Health.