Higgins General Hospital Offering Swing Bed Program

Posted Date: 10/26/2012

Ed Hulsey of Tallapoosa was the first patient admitted to the Higgins General Hospital swing bed program. The program allows patients more time to heal and to make a smooth transition from hospital to home.

Higgins General Hospital in Bremen, part of Tanner Health System, is offering a number of “swing beds” to help patients recover close to home. The program is designed for patients who require a less-intensive level of care than they received while in the hospital but who are not yet ready to leave treatment.

When a patient needs more time to recover from an illness, injury or surgery, the swing bed program allows patients more time to heal and to make a smooth transition from acute care to home.

“During this transition period from hospital to home, we provide a variety of rehabilitation options to meet the individual needs of our patients in a convenient, comfortable location," said Michael Alexander, administrator of Higgins General Hospital. “Our goal is to ensure that a patient is healthy enough and prepared for the lower level of care he or she will experience after being discharged from the hospital.” This can also help ensure that a patient will be less likely to require future hospitalization.

Patients in the swing bed program can receive up to two weeks of additional care. They receive weekly physician visits and constant supervision from a team of highly skilled nurses and other healthcare professionals. Patients continue to receive meals from the hospital, receive nursing care and all the other services available to every other Higgins General Hospital patient.

The swing bed program at Higgins General Hospital provides skilled nursing care, physical and occupational therapies, speech therapy, respiratory therapy as well as education about living with a condition and time to understand treatment that may be needed after leaving the hospital.

“This is an important service that we’re proud to offer as a regional health system,” said Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System. “The swing beds at Higgins General Hospital will help ensure that patients are ready when they leave our care.”

The program is being offered in several hospital rooms that have been remodeled to accommodate longer-term patients, with additional storage space, specialized furniture, additional artwork and trim for aesthetics and sleeper sofas to accommodate loved ones who may wish to stay with the patient in the swing bed program.

Funding for the four refurbished swing bed rooms at Higgins General Hospital was made possible by generous donations to Tanner Medical Foundation.

Tanner Medical Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the services of Tanner Health System through the philanthropic efforts of the community. Tanner Health System serves the healthcare needs of west Georgia and east Alabama. To learn more about Tanner Health System or Tanner Medical Foundation, visit www.tanner.org.

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