DCH Health System
DCH, a public, not-for-profit health system, has three hospitals — DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa, Northport Medical Center in Northport and Fayette Medical Center in nearby Fayette County, plus the DCH Rehabilitation Pavilion on the Northport Medical Center campus and the Lewis and Faye Manderson Cancer Center. The two hospitals in Tuscaloosa County have more than 4,000 employees combined.
DCH Regional Medical Center is the flagship hospital, with 580 beds and specialty units for pediatrics, orthopedics, cancer and cardiology, trauma care and an ICU.
Northport Medical Center, with 204 beds, is a full-service community hospital offering patients a wide range of services and specialties. It houses the DCH Rehabilitation Pavilion for patients who suffer from neurological or orthopedic disorders, and North Harbor Pavilion for inpatient adult and geriatric psychiatric services.
Both hospitals in Tuscaloosa County have family-oriented childbirth and intensive care for critically ill newborns.
The Lewis and Faye Manderson Cancer Center, a member of the MD Anderson Cancer Network, offers the latest in chemotherapy and radiation treatment under one roof.
New at DCH and Northport Medical is use of Modus Health’s patient mobility monitoring and management software, allowing physical therapists to assess patient progress.
DCH Foundation recently awarded $14,000 in scholarships to14 area students who are pursuing careers in health care.
And Fayette Medical Center, in Fayette County, was included in Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals for the second year in a row. It received the second- highest rating in the state after UAB.
Noland Hospital Tuscaloosa
Noland Hospital Tuscaloosa is operated by Noland Health Services and is a 27-bed specialty long-term acute care hospital. It is located within DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa.
Birmingham-based Noland serves patients who need extended hospital stays.
Tuscaloosa Veterans Administration Medical Center
Tuscaloosa VAMC provides primary care, long-term health care, rehabilitative care and mental health care services to eligible veterans. In addition to comprehensive outpatient services, it provides access to secondary and tertiary care services.
TVAMC also provides outpatient primary care and mental health services at the Selma Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and through the Rural Mobile Medical Unit. During September 2018, TVAMC converted two of its mobile unit sites into storefront clinics. The two new storefront clinics are in Demopolis within the Bryan Whitfield Memorial Hospital and at North Mississippi Medical Center in Hamilton.
The hospital offers a wide range of services in geriatrics and extended care, including nursing home care units (including dementia, skilled care, hospice/palliative care and physical rehabilitation), home-based care and a medical foster home program.
During the pandemic, Tuscaloosa VAMC offered care via virtual appointments. The Tuscaloosa VAMC also has been instrumental in the COVID-19 vaccine initiative in west Alabama, vaccinating employees in December 2020 and then veterans by age in January 2021, and later veteran spouses, caregivers and others who qualified under the SAVE Lives Act.
Tuscaloosa VA opened its third telehealth storefront clinic in Fayette in April 2021, expanding primary care access to veterans in Fayette County. The clinic is a partnership between DCH Health System and the city of Fayette.
Mental Health Facilities
Tuscaloosa is home to the state’s primary mental health cluster — Bryce Hospital, Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center and Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility.
Bryce, founded in 1861, is housed in a 268-bed facility that opened in 2014. The hospital provides inpatient psychiatric services to adults throughout the state of Alabama.
Bryce services include academic programs, daily living activities, community placement, language interpretation, peer support, physical and occupational therapy, recreational opportunities, music and group therapy, counseling, patient education and recovery programs, speech and hearing services, therapeutic work opportunities and dietary and nutritional counseling.
Other state mental health facilities in the county include the Mary Starke Harper Geriatric Psychiatry Center, which provides inpatient psychiatric services for Alabama citizens aged 65 and older, and the Taylor Hardin Secure Medical Facility, which provides comprehensive psychiatric evaluation/treatment to the criminally committed throughout the state and forensic evaluation to the state’s criminal courts.
