A New Look for Local Healthcare
Meadows Health Rebrands after Vidalia-based Regional Health
System Experiences Unprecedented Growth
If you’re like a lot of residents, you may
have spotted the Meadows Health
billboards around town or seen the
commercials on TV and wondered what’s
behind the name change.
As Meadows Health President and
CEO Alan Kent recently explained, the new
name is actually part of a rebranding effort
launched earlier in the year by the Vidaliabased
health system, which includes
the hospital, Meadows Regional Medical
Center.
The decision to rebrand was due
in large part to the medical center’s
unprecedented expansion, along with the
changes in the healthcare industry over
the past few years, Kent said.
“In just the last few years, we
have seen tremendous growth with
the addition of the region’s only
comprehensive cancer center, an
expanded women’s center, a wound care
center and an ultra-modern cardiovascular
lab where physicians practice the latest in
diagnostic and interventional cardiology,”
Kent said. “Simply put, we have become
much more than a hospital. We have truly
become a comprehensive health system,”
he said.
For example, the completion of Phase
II of the Tommy and Shirley Strickland
Cancer Center earlier in the year was a
massive addition in its own right.
“And more importantly, it was a win
for cancer patients throughout the region,”
Kent said.
The 15,000-square-foot center now
features state-of-the art facilities, cuttingedge
equipment and the consolidation
of a range of cancer services – all in one
place, he said.
“We are also the only center in
the region to offer both radiation
and chemotherapy treatment in one
convenient location,” Kent said.
The health system has continually
worked to actively recruit and bring
medical specialists to the area – not only
for the cancer center but to practices
and the hospital itself. As a result, highly
skilled medical oncologists and radiation
specialists now collaborate with medical
professionals and other hospital staff to
treat cancer patients.
“And that is a critical step forward,”
Kent said. “Before, our radiation patients
were driving some 30 or 45 minutes, for
treatment. Now they can stay nearby and
that’s important because as we know,
access to care can impact a patient’s
overall health and well-being.”
Meadows Health also enjoys a new
partnership with Emory Healthcare in
Atlanta. The new partnership is expected
to strengthen the delivery and quality of
healthcare for patients in Georgia and the
Southeast.
A VISION FOR WHAT HEALTH CARE
COULD BE
The new brand has already received
positive feedback from members of the
community and Meadows Health staff
alike, Kent said.
“Everyone is excited not only about
the fresh, new look but that we are
taking steps to convey a more accurate
understanding of all the services we
provide,” he said.
Uniting under one consistent brand
also brings the health system’s numerous
physician practices and affiliates under
one umbrella and reflects the dedication
Meadows Health has to being a center of
health care excellence, he added.
“Part of what has made us different is
that strategic vision we had all those years
ago for what health care could be here in
Vidalia and the surrounding communities,”
Kent said. As he explained, hospital
leadership first made the conscious effort
to focus on specialty medicine nearly two
decades ago when planning for the new
hospital began.
“We wanted to build a community
health network that attracted and
supported a wider range of specialty
medicine services than what the typical
rural community tends to have,” he said.
That approach has paid off in terms
of access to care and better health
outcomes for patients, Kent said. And
with the ongoing support of an engaged
community, he believes it will continue to
pay off for generations to come.
“As I’ve said many times before, we
would not have this hospital if it were not
for this community,” he said. “For us, this
new brand signals a new era of care that
has come not only to Vidalia but to the
region as a whole.”
MEADOWS H E A LTH
Meadows Health is a regional health system featuring a state-of-the art hospital,
cancer center and a network of physician practices that serve Vidalia and the
surrounding communities.
• Service areas include: Montgomery, Toombs, Treutlen, Tattnall, Emanuel,
Candler, Evans, Appling, Jeff Davis, Wheeler and Telfair counties.
• Health services include: advanced wound care; cardiology; gastroenterology;
general and vascular surgery; comprehensive cancer services; ear, nose and
throat care; family medicine; internal medicine; orthopedics; pediatrics;
pulmonology and sleep medicine; urology; women’s health services; home
medical equipment; medical spa services and health and wellness services.
• The Tommy and Shirley Strickland Cancer Center features advanced clinical
care using a holistic, patient-care approach. The center offers a range of
comprehensive cancer care services – including the latest in radiology and
chemotherapy treatment – in one centralized location.
8 Toombs County Magazine