Phoebe Opens Phase 2 of New Emergency & Trauma Center
Albany, Ga. – With construction complete on phase 2 of Phoebe’s Trauma & Critical Care Tower project, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital (PPMH) has opened the second half of its Emergency & Trauma Center. The hospital cared for the first patients in the new section of the center Wednesday morning.
“We’ve been looking forward to this day since we opened the Trauma & Critical Care Tower last January. The additional space will allow us to enhance the experience for our emergency patients, and it includes a separate behavioral health wing unlike anything available at other hospitals in south Georgia,” said Deb Angerami, PPMH President.
Phase 2 of the Emergency & Trauma Center includes a spacious new lobby, six additional private triage rooms, 14 new private vertical treatment bays and nine private patient care rooms. It also includes a conference room and a large breakroom and locker room for employees.
“After we opened our incredible emergency center in our new tower, we saw a 6% increase in emergency patients last year. We expect our volume to continue to increase, and we now have a much larger waiting room and more treatment areas for those patients. This phase completes our vision and helps ensure we provide exceptional care and superior service in the region’s largest and most advanced emergency center,” said Susie McKay, BSN, PPMH Emergency Center Director.
Part of the new addition is a six-bed Behavioral Health Emergency Center. It is a specialized, secure and calming alternative to a traditional emergency department for immediate crisis stabilization and treatment of patients with a wide variety of mental health needs.
“Our Behavioral Health EC is designed to keep our patients and staff safe, and it is staffed with healthcare professionals specifically trained to care for behavioral health patients. Providing a separate area for those patients will help us operate more effectively and efficiently,” said Ellen Williams, PhD, PPMH Vice President for Behavioral Health.
Phase 2 of the Emergency & Trauma Center occupies the same space as the former ER. When the Trauma & Critical Care Tower opened in January 2025, the old ER was closed and a complete overhaul of the space began immediately. The previous emergency center covered about 19,000 square feet. With the new addition, Phoebe’s Emergency & Trauma Center is now 53,000 square feet.
General contractor Hoar Construction oversaw the Trauma & Critical Care Tower project from the beginning. During more than three years of non-stop work, around 1,000 people worked on the project, with as many as 265 workers on the site at one time. “Seeing this project reach completion is an incredible milestone, and I’m proud to have been part of a team so dedicated to bringing this vital facility to the Albany community,” said Davis Wilson, Project Manager at Hoar Construction. “Watching our crews’ hard work take shape in a project that will strengthen lifesaving care for years to come is truly an honor.”
Phase 2 of the construction project also includes a new second floor corridor that connects the Trauma & Critical Care Tower to the main hospital, an expanded and updated Labor & Delivery waiting room and a renovated Obstetrics Emergency Center (OBEC) with five triage bays. It is staffed 24/7 by obstetricians who care for pregnant women with emergency needs, so those patients do not have to wait for care in the main emergency center.
“Our patients and families have been very understanding and patient with us over the last year during our construction project. We’re pleased that these new updates will help us serve our expectant mothers better, and we look forward to further upgrades to our Labor & Delivery department in the future,” said Jennifer Heleski, BSN, PPMH Director of Women’s & Children’s Services.
Pregnant women coming to PPMH to deliver their babies or for emergency care, should report to the registration desk inside the main entrance to the Trauma & Critical Care Tower. They will be directed or escorted to Labor & Delivery or the OBEC. Visitors coming to see delivering mothers should still check in at the visitor desk at the main hospital entrance.
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