Welcome to our new web site!

To give our readers a chance to experience all that our new website has to offer, we have made all content freely avaiable, through October 1, 2018.

During this time, print and digital subscribers will not need to log in to view our stories or e-editions.

Baptist Hospital Expands Services in Huntingdon, McKenzie

Posted

HUNTINGDON (February 8) — Baptist Memorial Hospital – Carroll County is expanding its services in McKenzie and Huntingdon with medical services.
During a gathering of local, state, and federal government officials last Friday, Baptist officials announced the new rehabilitation and wellness center in McKenzie, expanded services through a partnership with McKenzie Medical Center (doctor’s clinic) and a host of telemedicine services available at the hospital in Huntingdon.
Attending were mayors Jill Holland (McKenzie), Dale Kelley (Huntingdon), Robert Keeton, III (Bruceton), Howell Todd (Clarksburg), Joseph Butler (Carroll County), state representatives Curtis Halford and Andy Holt, State Senator John Stevens, and Ed Jackson, III, representing U.S. Representative David Kustoff.
Baptist officials showcased their telemedicine services, which allows specialists to participate in the treatment of patients in Baptist Hospital-Carroll County.
In three live demonstrations, medical personnel in Memphis, Hawaii, and Kenya appeared via computer monitor to the group. Specialized rolling carts equipped with cameras, computers and other diagnostic tools provides an interface for specialists to work with local medical providers in the care of patients in the rural facility. In many cases, the specialist can prescribe additional medical services or prescriptions without the patient having to travel to Jackson, Nashville, or Memphis. All medical records of the patient are available to the remote provider.
The services include: teleneurology and telestroke, telecardiology, telepsychiatry, teleICU, and coming soon, teleinfectious disease and telenephrology.
Susan Breeden, administrator of the Huntingdon facility, announced Baptist Rehabilitation Services opened Monday, February 11 offering physical therapy, sports medicine, and coming soon, occupational and speech therapy services. It is the same team members who worked for McKenzie Regional Hospital before it closed last year. Baptist felt it was important to keep the team together and place them at the former Baptist clinic, located on State Route 22 near McKenzie High School.
Baptist also committed to work with McKenzie Medical Center on its urgent care center and to add women’s health services at the McKenzie facility.

Ricky Scott is the team leader of Baptist’s Diagnostic Center, located inside McKenzie Medical Center. Scott praised the Baptist leadership team for quickly responding to the needs in McKenzie and upgrading those diagnostic services after purchasing the equipment from McKenzie Regional Hospital. He said he is proud to work for a faith-based health system, which works as a family of providers of care. The McKenzie center offers a 64-slice CT Scanner, nuclear medicine, an open MRI, ultrasound, digital mammography, DEXA scans, and X-Ray.
Charla Smith, previous Emergency Department director at McKenzie, has advanced to the same position at Baptist-Carroll County. She also commented about the Baptist associates all treating her as associates.
Through a partnership with Priority Emergency Medical Services, Baptist is providing ambulance services through substations in McKenzie, Huntingdon, McLemoresville, and soon in Bruceton. Justin Cook of McKenzie is the director of the county-wide EMS. Each ambulance has telemetry to provide the results of a 12-lead EKG to the medical facility prior to the ambulance arriving. A specialized ambulance for the transport of children is based in Memphis and available for use in Carroll County.
Overall, Baptist, at various locations in Carroll County and Obion County, offered employment positions to over 50 percent of the former McKenzie Regional Hospital employees, said Breeden. Baptist has 221 employees with an annual payroll of $7,317,000.
Baptist-Carroll County Behavioral Health Services opened an inpatient services with 12 beds in October 2014. Patients travel from a radius of 120 miles. Later this month, an adult outpatient service will also open.
Baptist-Carroll County was recently recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a four-star healthcare provider. It is the recipient of the 2018 Premier QUEST Award for high-value care.
For videos of the Friday announcements, visit mckenziebanner.com and search for this story and a link to the videos.

Baptist, Hospital, Echo, Cardiology, Services, Expansion