By BECKY CRISSMAN
CORDELE — Members of the Crisp Regional Hospital Board of Directors voted Tuesday night to sell the Crisp Regional Clinic and Urgent Care Center to Southwest Georgia Health Care Inc. (SWGHC).
“They have purchased the clinic operation and will remain in the current building which they will be renting from the Crisp Regional Hospital Board,” said Trina Barber, director of Community Relations for Crisp Regional Health Services.
“Crisp Regional Hospital will be the partnering hospital.”
The urgent care clinic began as a way for patients with urgent, but non-emergency needs to be seen by a physician without a visit to the emergency room. This type of service will continue under new ownership, but new services will be added.
“We will continue to provide urgent care,” says SWGHC CEO Dr. Ajay Gehlot. “We will also be providing primary care services to our patients.
“Dr. Fernando Neuman will be on staff. He is board certified in internal medicine. There will also be a number of nurse practitioners and physician assistants on staff as well. We want to be the medical home for our patients.”
Crisp Urgent Care and Medical Center will also be a federally funded establishment, and payment for services will be handled on a sliding scale. Each patient’s fee will be based on his income and family size.
“The fee for services will vary,” said Gehlot. “Depending on a family’s size and income level, that fee could be as little as $20. We will also accept private insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, Well Care, and Peach Care.”
As part of the agreement with CRH, Crisp Urgent Care and Medical Center will continue to operate in much the same manner as the former Crisp Regional Clinic and Urgent Care Center.
The same hours of operation, Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. until 10 p.m. will be maintained. In the future there may even be an increase in the hours of operation, Gehlot said.
“This is going to be good for the hospital, patients and Dr. Gehlot’s organization,” said Skip Wright, administrator for Crisp Regional Hospital.
“He also has access to government grants not available to us. I am fully confident that he will operate an excellent clinic.”
“We would like to thank the hospital and the community for the opportunity to come here,” said Gehlot. “Crisp Urgent Care and Medical Center makes our eleventh facility. We are looking forward to serving the citizens of Crisp County.”
