INFIRMARY HEALTH
Infirmary Health is the largest non-governmental, not-for-profit health care system in Alabama. The system has three acute care, one post-acute care and two rehabilitation hospitals across South Alabama. The system also includes two freestanding emergency departments, more than 60 physician practice locations, three ambulatory surgery centers and other affiliates.
Infirmary Health employs more than 6,500 staff members and more than 700 physicians, making it the largest private employer in the region. On average, the health system has more than 1.3Â million patient visits per year and holds nearly 50% of the market share between Mobile and Baldwin counties.
Mobile Infirmary, the system’s flagship hospital, opened in 1910 and houses 681 licensed beds. The hospital is among leaders in the state for surgical volume and is home to a hybrid OR/cath lab and a comprehensive structural heart program.
Infirmary Health was the first in the region to acquire the da Vinci Robotic Surgical System, and over the last 15 years, Mobile Infirmary has conducted nearly 20,000 robotic surgeries.
In addition, Mobile Infirmary holds a Joint Commission-Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center. Equipped with a biplane angiography suite and advanced imaging suite, the stroke team at Mobile Infirmary is prepared to treat even the most complicated of stroke cases with greater precision and care.
In 2023, Mobile Infirmary earned Total Hip & Knee Replacement Certification from The Joint Commission.
In north Mobile County, Mobile Infirmary operates a 22,000-square-foot freestanding emergency department in Saraland. The emergency department has 11 exam rooms, two trauma bays and an in-house lab and imaging department equipped for MRI, CT, X-ray and ultrasound. In addition to these services, the Infirmary Medical Plaza is home to a variety of physician practices including orthopedics, oncology, primary care and more.
Pending accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, Mobile Infirmary will launch its own internal medicine physician residency program in the summer of 2023. The program will mirror the internal medicine residency program established at Infirmary Health’s Thomas Hospital and will welcome physician residents from across the country to train at Mobile Infirmary and other Infirmary Health facilities. The goal of the program is to recruit new physicians to the area to better serve the needs of the community and to create a centralized facility for learning and training.
USA HEALTH
With 30 care delivery locations — including its flagship University Hospital and its dedicated Children’s & Women’s Hospital — USA Health serves as an essential safety-net health care organization, providing specialty services unique to the area and backed by the clinical faculty of the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama.
The system also operates the Mitchell Cancer Institute, which combines research facilities and patient care.
In April, USA Health announced plans to acquire Ascension Providence Hospital on the city’s west side. Until the arrangement is complete, probably this fall, the two will continue to operate independently.
USA Health is recognized for operating the region’s only Level I trauma center, the Fanny Meisler Trauma Center at University Hospital, and Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
In the past six years, USA Health has expanded its footprint in Mobile and Baldwin counties from seven clinical sites to 30, creating one of the largest multi-specialty practices in the region. More growth is on the horizon as University Hospital adds new operating rooms and Children’s & Women’s Hospital unveils an expanded Mother-Baby Unit and a new pediatric emergency center.
Also new for USA Health are a freestanding emergency department close to the university campus. The facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is supported by imaging capabilities including a CT scanner, an MRI, X-ray, mammography and ultrasound.
A three-story medical office building is expected to open this year near the Freestanding Emergency Department. The 90,000-square-foot building will be the new home of the USA Health Mobile Diagnostic Center and other USA Health specialty practices. USA Health has also received state approval to build a 28,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center on the site.
On campus, construction is expected to be complete in 2026 on a new building for the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine. The project, which will encourage collaboration between research and teaching, has been funded by a $60 million appropriation from former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, a $50 million earmark from Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and a $30 million gift from the University of South Alabama Foundation.
ASCENSION PROVIDENCE HOSPITAL
A comprehensive health care facility with 349 beds and 24/7 emergency care, Ascension Providence is part of the country’s largest Catholic health care system. In April, plans were announced for it to change ownership to USA Health System in a $85 million transaction.
Providence provides Level III trauma care, advanced surgical care, an outpatient diagnostic center and a standalone rehabilitation and wellness center.
Ascension Providence specializes in a wide range of services, including minimally invasive procedures, imaging, lab tests, wound care, rehabilitation services and diabetes care, all available at one convenient location. The hospital’s specialties include cancer care, cardiology, orthopedics, neurology/neurosurgery, epilepsy and seizure care, radiology, emergency care and many others.
Ascension Providence has received numerous awards, including an ‘A’ rating from the Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grade for Spring 2021, which recognized the hospital’s commitment to protecting patients from harm and meeting high safety standards. Additionally, the hospital has been designated a Blue Distinction Center by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama for spine, hip and knee surgeries, reflecting its outstanding performance in patient safety and outcomes.
SPRINGHILL MEDICAL CENTER
With 1,200 employees, Springhill is a 270-bed acute-care facility. Since 1975, Springhill has grown and expanded its services in southwest Alabama while maintaining more nurses per patient for a personal approach and 1-to-1 nurse/patient ratio for childbirth services.
SMC includes the hospital, a heart center, senior residence, cancer center, orthopedic surgery center, sleep medicine center, wound care and hyperbaric medicine. It also has a CARF-Accredited inpatient rehab center, upscale labor and delivery suites, emergency department with a specialized rapid treat-and-release area, a retail pharmacy, a primary care physician practice and additional joint ventures. Surgical services include inpatient, outpatient, open-heart, cranial and robotic surgery.
All physicians on staff in the hospital’s emergency department are board-certified in emergency medicine.
Springhill is a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Blue Distinction Center for cardiac care, knee and hip replacement, and spine surgery.
The only private, family-owned hospital in the Mobile area, Springhill Medical Center is also the only tax-paying facility supporting the community with millions of dollars for infrastructure and city services.
EASTPOINTE HOSPITAL and BAYPOINTE HOSPITAL
AltaPointe Health has two hospitals serving southern Alabama. EastPointe Hospital for adults ages 19 and older specializes in treating a wide variety of mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, personality disorders, and other thought and mood disorders. It is in Daphne in Baldwin County.
BayPointe Hospital, which treats children and adolescents, is in Mobile.
This article appears in the June 2023 issue of Business Alabama.
