Highlands Medical Center
Jackson County is home to Highlands Medical Center, a 170-bed full service, acute care facility in Scottsboro owned by Jackson County Health Care Authority (JCHCA). Facilities also include Highlands Health & Rehab, Cumberland Health & Rehab, Highlands Home Health, Scottsboro Urgent Care, Highlands Occupational Medicine Center, Highlands Surgical Services, Highlands Family Medicine and Jackson County Family Medicine.
In October 2021, Highlands became an affiliate of the Huntsville Hospital Health System. Under the agreement, the Jackson County Health Care Authority will continue to exist as an advisory board and will gain additional members in the future.
The hospital is opening two new services — Highlands Wound Care Center and Premier Pain Solutions of Northeast Alabama. Both are now housed in the hospital, but the wound care center will move to its own building on the campus later this year.
Highlands Medical Center sees more than 18,000 patients a year in its emergency department, and offers inpatient, maternity center and women’s health services, and outpatient care that includes ambulance service, imaging, lab services, sleep disorders center, surgery center, therapy center (physical, speech and occupational) and wound care.
Throughout the year county residents are provided free health screenings in their towns as part of the Highlands Medicine on the Move program.
HMC offers a medical detox program in conjunction with New Outlook Detox for substance addiction patients.
Highlands employs two primary care physicians, two general surgeons and has a hospitalist program staffed with physicians and mid-level providers.
With 746 employees, it is one of Jackson County’s largest employers.
Marshall Medical Centers
Marshall Medical Centers has about 1,428 employees between its two hospitals and other facilities, placing it among the county’s largest employers. It entered into an integration agreement with Huntsville Hospital Health System in 2018. The integration agreement came with $110 million in capital commitment over 10 years.
The Marshall County hospitals include Marshall Medical Center North in Guntersville, with 90 beds, and Marshall Medical Center South in Boaz, with 150 beds.
The health system also includes Marshall Professional Center and the Marshall Cancer Care Center.
Marshall Medical Centers offer an array of services from cardiology and behavioral health to oncology, orthopedics and physical therapy.
In April 2021, Marshall Medical Center South officials broke ground on a $61 million expansion and renovation project. Key features are a new check-in and consult room for outpatient surgeries, an 18-bed ICU and a 32-bed inpatient section, along with space for endoscopy procedures. The project, which also includes more parking, updates at the entrance and a medical mall linking to the physician office building, will be completed within 36 to 40 months.
In November 2020, Marshall Medical Centers opened a new non-emergency medical van transportation service for those who need to get to and from appointments and cannot because of health reasons.
Also, a new retail pharmacy opened in the lobby of the Professional Center.
DeKalb Regional Medical Center
DeKalb Regional in Fort Payne is licensed for 134 beds and provides a full range of medical and surgical services to people in and around northeast Alabama.
With 450 employees and more than 125 affiliated physicians and providers, its impact on improving health and quality of life is profound for DeKalb County.
DeKalb Regional also affiliates with physician practices in primary and specialty care in eight locations, including family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, orthopedics, sports medicine, neurology, sleep medicine and interventional cardiology.
The organization has recruited 10 new physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to practice in DeKalb County in the past two years.
As demand for healthcare and patient needs change, DeKalb Regional has invested $3.5 million over the last three years renovating facilities and acquiring the latest patient care technology. Recent investments include a completely renovated emergency department and administration areas; 4K video orthopedic/sports medicine arthroscopy equipment; high-definition video surgical and diagnostic endoscopy equipment, and multiple physician office expansions.
Pending approval from the Alabama Certificate of Need Board in October, DeKalb Regional will be expanding its Senior Care geriatric psych program in 2022 to include up to 10 new beds for patients needing these behavioral health services.
Floyd Cherokee Medical Center
Floyd Cherokee Medical Center is a not-for-profit acute-care hospital licensed for 60 beds. Located in Centre, the hospital primarily serves the residents of Cherokee County and the vacationers who frequent Lake Weiss, which stretches from the eastern border of the county to its western border.
Floyd Cherokee Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission and has approximately 120 employees. In 2021, the hospital became part of Charlotte-based Atrium Health system, a move that offers significant capital investment to Floyd Cherokee.
The hospital also offers emergency care services plus surgery, detox, diabetes care, imaging, lab services and a pharmacy.
Also part of the Floyd health system is Floyd Medical Center in Rome, Georgia, and Floyd Polk Medical Center in Cedartown, Georgia.
