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Piedmont Fayette brokers deal with Southern Regional

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Call it an early Christmas present for supporters of Piedmont Fayette Hospital.

Officials announced Thursday that the hospital has reached an agreement with Southern Regional Health System that will allow regulatory approval for obstetrics services at Piedmont Fayette.

That allows Piedmont Fayette to begin delivering babies in the summer of 2006, officials said Thursday.

Earlier this year, Southern Regional appealed the state’s approval allowing Piedmont Fayette to create a seven-bed obstetrics unit with three labor, delivery and recovery suites in addition to cesarean section suites. Southern Regional has withdrawn its appeal as a part of the settlement, officials indicated.

In addition to the seven-bed OB unit, Fayette PIedmont also will have two triage spaces for obstetrics patients, a nine-bassinet general care nursery and a five-bassinet specialty care nursery, otherwise known as a neonatal intensive care unit.

“We are pleased that this matter has been worked out and look forward to expanding our services,” said Darrell Cutts, president and CEO of Piedmont Fayette Hospital. “We appreciate Southern Regional’s willingness to work with us on this issue.”

Edward J. Bonn, president and CEO of Southern Regional Health System, said the company initiated negotiations with Fayette Piedmont “with the intent of resolving our issues as rapidly as possible.”

“Fayette has worked with us to resolve those issues without a lengthy appeal hearing,” Bonn said. “We appreciate that, and we wish them the best as they proceed with their new service.”

In 2002, more than 1,000 pregnant Fayette residents had to travel out-of-county to deliver their babies, hospital officials said.

A number of those patients went to Southern Regional, which opened a new Women’s Center wing over three years ago to handle labor and delivery services.