Health Care
Here's some real irony for you. In
1878 Memphis was almost wiped off the map by an outbreak of
yellow fever. Thousands died, thousands more fled the city, and
the city charter was revoked because Memphis' demographic and
political structures were too badly hurt to sustain
self-government.
Today that same city, almost
destroyed by illness just over a century ago, is recognized
around the globe as one of the finest medical centers anywhere.
It is home to some of the world's largest and most modern
hospitals and to physicians and researchers who are leaders in
the fight against catastrophic diseases.
Memphis and its adjacent
communities boast 21 public and private hospitals, offering the
city more than 7,000 beds. More than 2,300 doctors, 8,000 nurses,
1,000 lab technicians, 900 pharmacists, 600 dentists, and
thousands of support workers in medical and related field serve
those hospitals and their patients. In a year's time,
approximately 200,000 people seek medical treatment in Memphis,
helping create jobs for more than 44,000 people - fully one-ninth
of all working individuals in Memphis. The total health care
contribution to the Memphis economy each year is about $6
billion, but the true bottom line is that Memphians receive some
of the best health care offered anywhere in the world.
The following is a list of the
Memphis area's major hospitals and medical centers. For a listing
of clinics and other health care facilities, check the local
phone book.
- AMI St. Francis Hospital
- A full-service facility
located in East Memphis, St. Francis features surgical,
maternity, pediatric, and psychiatric care facilities.
The hospital's Chest Pain Emergency Center specializes in
immediate attention for those suffering from chest pain,
while its Pain Management Center treats acute and chronic
pain. In 1994 the hospital was purchased by AMI, a
national health care corporation.
- Baptist Memorial Hospital
System
- The largest private,
not-for-profit hospital in the world, Baptist is famous
for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular
diseases and for its sleep disorders center. The Baptist
Memorial Hospital System consists of such facilities as
Baptist Memorial Hospital in the Medical Center; Baptist
East, located in suburban East Memphis; a rehabilitation
hospital in nearby Germantown; and its own school of
nursing.
- Charter Lakeside Behavioral
Health System
- Charter Lakeside is a private
facility specializing in the psychiatric treatment of
adults, adolescents, and children, as well as the
treatment of addictions. The hospital also offers a wide
array of counseling and educational programs aimed at
helping Mid-Southerners lead fulfilling lives.
- Eastwood Hospital
- Eastwood offers a full
complement of medical services with emphasis on a
coronary care unit and cardiac rehabilitation program.
The hospital's emergency care is a primary specialty,
while its mental health services are also highly
regarded.
- Germantown Community
Hospital/Methodist East
- A suburban hospital that is a
joint venture between Methodist Health Systems of Memphis
and National Medical Enterprises, Inc., the facility
offers emergency care and some long-term care for
specific illnesses.
- Le Bonheur Children's Medical
Center
- A full-service children's
hospital specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of
pediatric diseases, disorders, and injuries, Le Bonheur
is famous for its cardiovascular/radiology department and
its liver and kidney transplant programs. A new ICU joins
such pediatric services as emergency care, cardiovascular
illness treatment, advanced echocardiography, radiology,
and liver and kidney transplants. Le Bonheur also
operates an East Memphis location (with after-hours
emergency care and outpatient surgery) and a Bartlett
location (with physicians' offices and a daytreatment
center).
- Methodist Hospitals of Memphis
- A full-service hospital,
Methodist Hospitals of Memphis is the 11th-largest
private, not-for-profit hospital in the country.
Currently, Methodist operates a main hospital in the
city's Medical Center, as well as three suburban
hospitals - Methodist North, Methodist South, and
Methodist East. Among treatment programs at Methodist are
an ICU for newborns, a heart transplant program, and the
Memphis Neurosciences Center.
- Mid-South Hospital
- Specializing in child,
adolescent, and adult psychiatry, the hospital offers
both inpatient and outpatient programs for a wide variety
of disorders.
- Regional Medical Center at
Memphis
- Commonly called "The
Med," this full-service hospital specializes in
maternity care at the Women's Hospital and the care of
critically ill babies at the Newborn Center. The Med's
Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center is the only Level I
Trauma Center in the area, while its Burn Unit is the
only such facility in this part of the country. A private
hospital with a public mission, The Med is funded in part
by Shelby county government. In the summer of 1994, The
Med opened MedPlex, a state-of-the-art, primary health
care facility designed to treat large numbers of patients
with wide-ranging needs.
- St. Joseph Hospital
- St. Joseph Hospital and Health
Centers is a 440-bed acute-medical/surgical, mental
health, occupational health, geriatrics, and physical
rehabilitation facility. St. Joseph is the home of the
Alliance for the Blind and the Interpreting Service for
the Deaf. In 1990 the hospital spent more than $7 million
on the new Outpatient and Emergency Center. St. Joseph is
the city's oldest private hospital still in continuous
operation. It is located in downtown Memphis three blocks
from the Pyramid.
- St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital
- A center for clinical research
and the care of children with catastrophic diseases, St.
Jude sees an average of 4,500 patients each year. The
hospital is world famous for its cancer research and its
success in treating childhood cancers. Currently, the
hospital is engaged in major research efforts into
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome in children. St. Jude
is also undergoing a $125 million expansion that will
double its size and expand the scope and range of its
invaluable research programs; it is expected to be
completed by the middle of 1996.
- The University of Tennessee
Medical Center
- The UT Medical Center is part
of the University of Tennessee, Memphis, the state's
primary medical school. The center provides medical care
for patients at the UT William F. Bowld Hospital through
the UT Medical Group, which is made up of faculty who
teach at UT Memphis. Doctors at Bowld Hospital were among
the pioneers of liver transplant surgery in this country.
- Veterans Administration
Hospital
- This facility provides medical
care for veterans from the Mid-South area and serves as a
regional referral center for spinal cord injury and
prosthetics treatment. One of the largest VA health care
facilities in the country, the Memphis VA Hospital
provides comprehensive tertiary and referral care to
veterans throughout the region. The facility records more
than 216,000 patient visits annually.
- Minor Emergency Clinics
- Several minor emergency
clinics are located throughout Memphis. For a complete
listing, check under "Clinics-Medical" in the
yellow pages.
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