Coastal Carolina Hospital is proud to announce that it is launching a new obstetrics and gynecology program in the spring of 2014 by expanding the hospital’s women’s health services and preparing to deliver newborns in Hardeeville for the first time in eight years.

The new unit will feature 16 beds and the latest equipment and enhancements for the care of mothers and their newborns. It will be housed in existing space and will not require the hospital to add additional beds. Coastal Carolina Hospital expects to create approximately 45 new jobs for nurses and other quality
healthcare professionals.

Bradley S. Talbert, FACHE, CEO of Coastal Carolina Hospital, said the new women’s unit will greatly enhance the hospital’s growing reputation, benefiting the communities it serves.

“We will have the capacity to deliver and care for more than 1,000 newborns a year and, like expectant parents, we are working diligently to get ready and are eagerly anticipating their arrival.”

“This program will not only benefit mothers, but women who may be seeking specialized GYN care,” Talbert said. “We will have a core group of physicians who can assess and treat their specific health problems. We plan to have a comprehensive women’s unit that offers a wide range of services to treat the women and newborns in our community. ”

Six seasoned Beaufort- and Bluffton-based physicians and two midwives with more than 100 years of combined experience have also announced that they will be consolidating their two independent practices into one group this fall, Riverside Women’s Care, and joining the medical staff at Coastal Carolina Hospital.

The six OB/GYNs and two midwives joining the hospital are:
•    Jo Ann Csakany, MD
•    Ardra Davis-Tolbert, MD
•    Meredith Mitchell, MD
•    Lynn Norton, MD
•    Randy Royal, MD
•    Glenn Werner, MD
•    Donna Andrews, CNM, Certified Nurse Midwife
•    Elizabeth Durant, CNM, Certified Nurse Midwife

In addition to being able to provide services as part of the Coastal Carolina Hospital medical staff, these physicians will continue to provide ambulatory services to patients at their existing office locations in Beaufort and Bluffton.

Talbert said with this expansion of services for women, the hospital expects other doctors to join the medical staff and provide services. For instance, he said, physicians from Palmetto Pediatrics in Bluffton and Hilton Head Island have expressed an interest in joining the staff to care for newborns here at Coastal.

“We are proud to launch this exciting, new OB/GYN program,” said Mark O’Neil, President and CEO of Hilton Head Regional Healthcare, which includes Hilton Head Hospital, Coastal Carolina Hospital and the Bluffton-Okatie Outpatient Center.  “This investment will be a significant addition to our network of medical services.

Additionally, this move will complement our existing OB/GYN services at Hilton Head Hospital and enable us to expand our reach of medical services throughout
the Lowcountry.”

<strong>Coastal Carolina Hospital is a 41-bed acute care hospital located at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Hwy. 278 in Hardeeville, S. C. The hospital has been serving the medical and health care needs of Jasper and Beaufort counties since November 2004. The hospital provides acute care services including intensive care, diagnostic imaging, laboratory services, surgical services, outpatient physical rehabilitation, hyperbarics and wound healing, and 24-hour emergency treatment. Coastal Carolina Hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission, the nation’s largest hospital accreditation agency. To learn more about Coastal Carolina Hospital, visit www.coastalhospital.com.</strong>