Health Care in the Upstate Growth and development in the Upstate have been rampant in recent years and the health-care industry has kept pace, offering some of the most user-friendly and comprehensive systems that you’ll find anywhere. Regional health-care networks, independent hospitals and medical professionals in a variety of disciplines work together to offer the latest technologies and quality care in a friendly, patient-centered environment. If you need help finding a new family physician or specialist, check with one of the hospital-operated physician referral services. Many dentists, optometrists, chiropractors and other specialists also practice in the region. If you need care but haven’t yet found a family physician, you can turn to one of the urgent-care centers in Greenville, Spartanburg and Pickens counties. These centers, open evenings and weekends, accept walk-in patients and offer quick service that costs less than emergency-room care. Should you or your family need hospital care, you’ll find several excellent facilities to choose from in the Upstate. Here’s a quick look: Greenville County The Greenville Hospital System (864-455-7000, www.ghs.org) has served the Upstate for nearly a century and is nationally recognized for its advanced medical technology and modern facilities. GHS provides the area’s most extensive health and behavioral health services, prevention and wellness services, health education and training, teaching and research opportunities, and primary care physician network. As one of the state’s largest comprehensive health-care systems, GHS has the resources to treat all levels of illnesses and injuries. Greenville Memorial Hospital, on the Greenville Memorial Medical Campus, serves as the Upstate’s regional referral center. This 710-bed facility provides a Level I Emergency Trauma Center and Children’s Emergency Center; the Heart Institute, which conducts more than 10,000 cardiac procedures annually and includes a 24-hour emergency diagnostic Chest Pain Center; the Children’s Hospital, which has the area’s largest group of pediatric subspecialties; and the Women’s Health Institute, which offers specialists in maternal-fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, urogynecology, breast health and oncology. Also located on the Greenville Memorial Medical Campus are the Cancer Center, which includes the Oncology Research Institute. Allen Bennett Memorial Hospital, on GHS’ Greer Medical Campus, serves the Greer, southern Spartanburg and Taylors areas. This community hospital offers a physician-staffed, 24-hour emergency center; comprehensive women’s services; acute, subacute and intensive care services; and outpatient services including surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, mammography, nuclear medicine, CT scanning, MRI and physical therapy. Roger Huntington Nursing Center, which provides 24-hour nursing supervision, is also located on the Greer Medical Campus. GHS’ Simpsonville Medical Campus is the home of Hillcrest Hospital, which specializes in short inpatient stays and outpatient surgical procedures as well as provides a range of diagnostic services and 24-hour emergency care. North Greenville Hospital, on the North Greenville Medical Campus, serves northern Greenville County and offers a physician-staffed, 24-hour emergency room, long-term acute care and outpatient services including obstetric care, orthopedic care, pediatrics and internal medicine. The GHS Patewood Medical Campus, which serves Greenville’s eastside, offers an Outpatient Center, which includes outpatient surgery services, pediatric specialty services, Breast Imaging Center and laboratory and radiology services. The Doctor’s Office Building at Patewood houses primary and specialty care services, including family practice, obstetrics and gynecology, and pediatrics. The Life Center Health & Conditioning Club in Greenville is a 55,000-square-foot facility with a 25-meter indoor pool, Greenville’s largest indoor track, weights and cardiovascular conditioning equipment. Staff members are certified fitness specialists. The new Simpsonville Life Center offers many of the same amenities as the Greenville facility: personal training, aerobic and Pilates mat classes, yoga, massage therapy and HeartLife cardiac rehabilitation program. The Greenville Hospital System Foundation, through philanthropic support, extends the mission of GHS into the community. Funds support research, health education and prevention programs. Founded in 1932, the Bon Secours St. Francis Health System (864-255-1000, www.stfrancishealth.com) in Greenville provides high-quality, compassionate care. The heart of the system is St. Francis Hospital, a 257-bed facility near downtown Greenville. The facility includes a 24-hour emergency department, oncology care, orthopedics, neurosurgery, diagnostic cardiac-catheterization procedures, radiology services, transitional care, outpatient surgery and an inpatient physical rehabilitation center. Next to St. Francis Hospital, the St. Francis Outpatient Center offers services in surgical specialties, radiology, diagnostics and a therapeutic suite. On the Eastside, the 62-bed St. Francis Health System operates the St. Francis Women’s and Family Hospital, including a 24-hour emergency room, birthing suites and breast imaging services. Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville (864-271-3444, www.shrinershq.org/shc/Greenville) is a place of healing for thousands of children from birth to age 18 who are afflicted by bone, joint, and muscular disorders such as scoliosis, metabolic bone disease, growth abnormalities and spina bifida, or by injuries that require long and sophisticated treatment and rehabilitation. The hospital offers inpatient and outpatient services, and serves patients either by physician referral or self-referral from the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Virginia. Like all of the 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children in North America, the 50-bed Greenville orthopedic facility treats its patients without charge. The Carolina Center for Behavioral Health (www.thecarolinacenter.com) is an 82-bed facility owned by Universal Health Services, Inc. The facility specializes in psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment for adolescents, adults and senior adults. An array of inpatient and outpatient programs meets the diverse needs of the community. In addition, a needs assessment and referral service (800-866-HOPE or 864-235-2335) offers free professional, confidential clinical assessments and referrals 24 hours a day. Spartanburg County Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS), one of South Carolina’s largest comprehensive healthcare systems, provides care for every phase of life — from birth to hospice. Providing the highest quality of care to patients in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties in South Carolina, and Polk and Rutherford counties in North Carolina, SRHS has established itself as a state and national leader in the delivery of quality health care — a standard that has attracted the attention of not only one of the world’s leading cancer centers, but also the American Nurses Association, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and even the U.S. Department of Defense. Spartanburg Regional Medical Center (SRMC), the flagship facility of Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, is a research and teaching hospital with more than 500 physicians on staff. More than 11,000 surgical procedures are performed annually here, and surgical suites are staffed around the clock. Outpatient diagnostic services are located in the Regional Center for Women and the Regional Outpatient Center. Outpatient surgery is offered through the Ambulatory Surgery Center of Spartanburg and the Surgery Center at Pelham. The main campus includes several centers of excellence, including the Regional Heart Center, Gibbs Regional Cancer Center, Regional Center for Women, Regional Surgical Weight Loss Services, Regional Hospice, Regional Rehabilitation Center, Sleep Center and the Regional Outpatient Center. With more than 100,000 visits annually, the Regional Emergency Center is one of the busiest Level I Trauma Centers in the nation. The Village at Pelham, the system’s newest campus in Greer, represents an inspirational movement to bring good living to the ultimate heights. Here, health care, wellness and specialty retail blend to support a balanced, healthful lifestyle — one that pivots around convenience and access to the services you need to make getting things done easier. With a state-of-the-art ambulatory surgery center, a medical office building and plans for a 48-bed full-service hospital, the Village at Pelham provides residents with a new healthcare experience that will soon include retail and wellness components, as well. In 2005, Houston-based M. D. Anderson Cancer Center selected Gibbs Regional Cancer Center to become only the sixth cancer center in the world to have an affiliation with its M. D. Anderson Physicians Network. Also in 2005, the American Nurses Association awarded SRMC its much-coveted Magnet status. Less than three percent of the nation’s hospitals have received this designation, which rewards nurses who help set the national standard for bed-side care. SRHS is also the site of South Carolina’s only JCAHO-accredited Chest Pain and Primary Stroke centers, and is the first hospital in the Upstate to earn Center of Excellence status for its gastric bypass surgery program. As one of the nation’s “Most Wired” hospital systems, SRHS was named the American “Hospital of the Future” by the U.S. Department of Defense. Through this unique collaboration, SRHS will work closely with military officials to improve the use of technology in the delivery and integration of civilian and military health care. SRHS also includes the Regional Physician Network, a network of physician offices located throughout five counties; Regional HealthPlus, a network of hospitals and physicians of every specialty; Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System Foundation; Spartanburg County Emergency Medical Services; and Regional One, the Upstate’s only hospital-based air ambulance service. Additionally, the 97-bed Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care has helped people suffering from disabling medical problems regain their independence for more than a decade. The Regional Physician Network (864-560-7475) has dozens of physician offices in South and North Carolina. The primary service area includes Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union counties in South Carolina and Rutherford and Polk counties in North Carolina. The network also has sites off I-85 between Spartanburg and Greenville, giving employees in nearby industries immediate access to quality care. Part of Mary Black Health System, Mary Black Memorial Hospital (864-573-3000, www.maryblackhospital.com) has been providing quality health care to the Upstate since 1925. In the past several years, the 209-bed hospital has more than 100 physicians on staff and offers services such as oncology, gastroenterology, infectious disease, vascular, perinatology, interventional radiology and two hospitalists. The Vascular Center provides state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of patients with vascular disease. Mary Black also boasts birthing center and rehabilitation facilities and staff that are unsurpassed. In 2000, Mary Black opened the Women’s Pavilion, a multi-million-dollar facility placing women’s services under one roof. Mary Black Westside Medical Park is the home for Mary Black Urgent Care, physician offices, laboratory and radiology facilities and Mary Black’s Center for Industrial Medicine, the area’s first integrated industrial medicine and worker’s compensation medical delivery network. Pickens County Palmetto Health Baptist Easley (864-442-7200, www.palmettohealth.org) is a 109-bed hospital serving Easley and Pickens County. The medical center, which opened in 1958, added “Palmetto” to its name in 1998 after the merger of Baptist Healthcare System and Richland Memorial in Columbia to create the Palmetto Health Alliance. The medical center offers general medical and surgical care, critical care, 24-hour physician-staffed emergency service, radiology, cardiac catheterization lab, a birth center and a sleep-disorders center. The medical center also offers pastoral counseling, nutrition services, diabetes management, community case management and a weight loss program. The Cardiac Catheterization Lab offers one of the most technologically advanced cardiac- imaging systems available anywhere. The Birthplace at Palmetto Baptist is an eight-bed, family-centered obstetrical unit with an attractive, homelike atmosphere and sophisticated medical care. Cannon Memorial Hospital (864-878-4791, www.cannonhospital.org) in Pickens offers a wide range of acute-care, surgical and outpatient services for children and adults in a comprehensive, 55-bed facility that maintains a friendly warmth in patient care. The hospital includes 24-hour, physician-staffed emergency care; medical, surgical and critical care; cardiac services; laboratory; respiratory care; radiology; and therapy and restorative care. As a result of increased demand, Cannon Memorial doubled its emergency room space in 2003. Cannon Memorial also emphasizes wellness and prevention through its community services. The educational programs promote healthy lifestyles and include aerobic classes, weight management programs, support groups and personal training. The WorkWise industrial medicine program helps area businesses and industries keep their workers healthy and safe. Lifeline is a personal emergency response system that enables the elderly, disabled or handicapped to lead independent lives at home. Anderson County Serving Anderson, Oconee, Abbeville and Pickens counties, Anderson Area Medical Center (864-261-1000, www.anmed.com) is a licensed and fully accredited 461-bed facility. As a private, not-for-profit corporation and part of the AnMed Health System, AAMC provides a range of general and specialized diagnostic and treatment services. Emphasizing caring service, respect for the individual, community orientation and a nurturing culture, AAMC strives to meet the needs of its patients in a compassionate manner. The 40-bed AnMed HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital and AnMed Wellspring, a 27-bed chemical dependency hospital, are also part of the AnMed Health System. Anderson Physical Therapy (864-261-3099) promotes high-quality physical therapy and sports medicine services for the Anderson area to relieve pain, improve function, improve range of motion and increase strength in its patients. Hoping to educate patients about prevention in addition to treatment, Anderson Physical Therapy provides reasonably priced service that emphasizes the whole patient. The only provider of free primary health care, dental care and medication in Anderson County is Anderson Free Clinic (864-226-1294 or http://freeclinic.electric-city.net). Since 1984, the Free Clinic has provided free services through the volunteer efforts of physicians and nurses as well as charitable contributions from area churches, civic groups, memorials and individual gifts. Wherever you live in the Upstate, medical care is abundant, affordable and first rate. PHOTO COURTESY OF SPARTANBURG REGIONAL HEALTH SYSTEM