Healthcare in Georgetown
Scott County enjoys quality health and hospital services

With Georgetown-Scott County serving as the home of more than 40 manufacturing companies, the presence of a top-notch healthcare provider is a necessity. Fulfilling this important role is Georgetown Community Hospital.

“This area is very supportive of our facility,” said Jeff Seraphine, CEO of Georgetown Community Hospital. “We’re a 75-bed acute care hospital with emergency room services, as well as a full range of in-patient and out-patient surgery.”

The hospital CEO said that his facility has a strong commitment to the community. “We have made the commitment to grow Georgetown Community Hospital to mirror this community’s growth,” he said. “We’ve brought in a large number of physicians to enlarge and improve what was already an impressive staff. We firmly believe that Scott County deserves excellent healthcare services. We have committed ourselves to providing it.”

According to Seraphine, Georgetown Community Hospital’s emergency room experiences more than 20,000 patient visits a year. “I would put our emergency room team up against the emergency room staff of any other hospital,” he said. “We are particularly proud of the level of service we provide our patients here.”

As far as the range of surgeries provided, Seraphine said that the extensive range of the hospital’s services is impressive.

“Among many others, we do radiological, joint replacement, colon-rectal, spinal, gynecological and ear, nose and throat procedures. Basically, we do everything but neurological and cardiac surgeries. In 2001, we delivered well over 500 babies and we have six pediatricians who draw patients from the five counties surrounding ours.”

The hospital chief said that the hospital’s good reputation extends beyond its patients. “We have a great relationship with our physicians, too,” Seraphine said. “Our patients like it here because they get quality treatment. Our physicians like practicing here because we have great patients and a modern facility. It’s a situation where we work together and constantly keep improving.”

Because of the important manufacturing presence in Scott County, Georgetown Community Hospital has developed a modern and well-staffed occupational medicine unit.

“We have a strong business and occupational health center,” Seraphine said. “We call it our Business Health Department. Dr. Ben Lyon, an internist, is a real leader in that field and works as the unit’s physician in charge. The physician’s assistant there is Rob Hays, who a also lends real insight and experience.

Among the business health services provided by Georgetown Community Hospital are on-site ergonomic assessments, on- and off-site health services, drug screenings, rapid drug screenings and Department of Transportation assessments. The hospital also does work-related vision and hearing screenings and pre-employment physicals.

“Our business health unit is located close to our emergency room,” Seraphine said. “If someone comes in with a work-related injury and it’s serious enough, we can get them emergency treatment very quickly.”

The hospital CEO has lived in Georgetown for almost four years.

“Georgetown is a great place to be,” Seraphine said. “It’s different than anywhere else I’ve lived or worked. This is a place that is committed to smart growth. There are nice homes being built and lots of stores and restaurants to go to. We’re a small town, but just a few miles up the road from a metropolitan area. Really, we’ve got the best of both worlds.”

The business climate in Georgetown also impresses Seraphine. “Our banks, retailers and residential property developers are very good at working together,” he said. “When Toyota came in, it was our first big break, economically. Now other employers have come in and, while our manufacturing base is impressive, we have the opportunity to grow beyond that.”

Seraphine has been very impressed with local business and political leadership. “The Chamber of Commerce here is great,” he said. “I call it, ‘the Chamber that never rests.’ It’s in constant evolution, continually growing and searching for new ways to represent local businesses. It’s one of the few such organizations that is effective in advocating both local business and our great quality of life.

“With our local political scene, we have fabulous leadership in Everette Varney and George Lusby. The city and county work together so well here. They’ve been able to pull off a lot of things that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else.”




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