Good prognosis: Cullman Regional CEO talks maximizing local resources

Published 6:00 am Thursday, January 30, 2020

Cullman Regional CEO James Clements speaks at the hospital’s annual State of the Healthcare System Address Wednesday afternoon.

With another expansion on the horizon, Cullman Regional’s recent growth will be continuing into 2020. 

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Cullman Regional CEO James Clements spoke about some of the hospital’s recent growth and plans for the future during Wednesday’s State of the Health System Address.

Everything that the hospital does is centered around the goal of bringing more healthcare options to the area, and that includes everything from building new facilities to bringing in specialists, Clements said. 

“We want to continuously add healthcare resources to Cullman so all of us can stay closer to home for our healthcare,” he said. 

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To highlight some of the hospital’s recent successes in that area, Clements touched on a few of the hospital’s projects that have been completed over the last two years, such as the addition of a new floor to the hospital that added 30 new inpatient beds and the building of an urgent care and outpatient imaging center on the hospital campus.

Other recent additions include an Automated Breast Ultrasound System and 3-D mammography to expand women’s health programs, and technological upgrades like the da Vinci surgical robot and Mako robotic-arm assisted surgery that make smaller incisions and have faster recovery times, Clements said.

He said those capital projects and purchases have added more room and more services that can be offered at Cullman Regional, and that means more doctors have been needed to go along with them.

From 2014-2019, the hospital opened five new clinics to offer expanded services to the community and has hired 52 new physicians and 63 mid-level providers, he said. 

Within the next year, the hospital plans to add 10 primary care physicians and pediatricians, 11 specialty physicians and nine hospital-based physicians, Clements said. 

Future growth is not limited to personnel, however, as the hospital recently received approval on its Certificate on Need to build a $30 million facility expansion, he said.

The expansion will increase the capacity of the Critical Care Unit by 50 percent, increase the capacity of the Emergency Department by 50 percent and add more private rooms to reduce the usage of semi-private rooms throughout the facility.

The addition will also add an outpatient behavioral health program, which is a major need for the people of the community, he said. 

With the expansions and capital purchases that have already been completed in recent months — along with the planned expansion of the ICU, ER and addition of the behavioral health program — Cullman Regional will have invested around $70 million in expanding healthcare coverage for the people of Cullman County, Clements said.

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138.