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The ADVANCE, November 10, 2021/Page 3A
HCA
PART OF THE TEAM — Also part of the Robotic-Assisted
Surgery Team are, from left, Jordan Strickland, Physician
and Provider Relations Director, and Jeffrey Harden-
Chief Nursing Officer.
continued from page 1A
in full control at all times/’
Hasbrouck said.
Robotically-assisted
surgery is not a new tech
nology It was actually be
ing used over a decade ago.
“But it is not everywhere
because it is expensive and
medical facilities have to
have trained staff to use
it effectively” Hasbrouck
pointed out. The robotical
ly-assisted surgeries were
first used mainly in urol
ogy and gynecology and
later in general surgery for
procedures like hernia re
pair and appendectomies.
Later, the equipment’s use
moved into the thoracic
and cardiovascular realm
and beyond. “It now stems
across most of the surgical
spectrum,” Hasbrouck said.
The benefits of ro
botically-assisted surgery
are multiple. “The equip
ment gives surgeons much
greater freedom of arm and
wrist movement and more
precision,” Hasbrouck said.
The equipment helps re
duce loss of blood, it helps
reduce pain, time in the
hospital and recovery time,
and it helps reduce scarring.
Because of the ergonom
ics of the system, with the
surgeon’s ability to sit at a
console instead of being
hunched over an operating
table for four to six hours,
use of the equipment can
prolong a surgeon’s lifespan
and ability to practice, Has
brouck noted.
Meadows now has four,
full-time surgeons who are
trained and certified to use
the robotic equipment. As
part of HCA, Meadows is
linked to Memorial Health
University Medical Cen
ter in Savannah where five
robotically-assisted devices
are in use. “Memorial is
one of the largest provid
ers of robotically-assisted
surgery in the state and it
has an education program
built around it. Surgery resi
dents actually train on the
consoles there,” Hasbrouck
explained. He added that
36 surgeons are now train
ing on the robotic system at
Memorial. “To have a sys
tem here would mean that
we are a destination site for
new surgeons.”
The training available
for Meadows’ staff through
the program at Memo
rial will bring additional
value to the community.
The robotics surgery team
at Meadows will include,
in addition to the surgeon,
certified surgical technolo
gists, nursing circulators
responsible for the safety
of everyone in room, and
an anesthesiologist. All
will be trained and certi
fied through the Memorial
program, and the plan is to
train and certify additional
physicians and physician as
sistants.
Meadows has a medi
cal staff for all of the core
specialties, but is actively
recruiting a medical on
cologist on a full-time, per
manent basis, a urologist,
and an ear, nose and throat
specialist. Having a robotic
component helps that pro
cess. “It has a stickiness to
it, to have these tools which
are being used in other ma
jor facilities also active at
Meadows,” Hasbrouck said.
Looking into the near
future, Meadows is expand
ing its services in cardiology
by bringing in two subspe
cialists in electrophysiology.
These board and fellowship
trained specialists will be
working with the Mead
ows’ cardiology team to
assist with various cardiac
rhythm-related abnormali
ties, such as atrial fibrila-
tion. The addition of these
medical experts will enable
electrophysiology studies
that can diagnose specific,
conduction-related heart is
sues and provide for a great
er availability of cardiac
pacemaker placement, for
instance. The electrophysi
ologists will come from Sa
vannah and establish a hub
in Vidalia so patients can be
seen in Vidalia.
“We not only want
to meet the commitment
we made but exceed it for
the long term,” Hasbrouck
said. New technology will
continue to come. “We see
tremendous opportunity
in Vidalia because we had
a good foundation from
which to accelerate. The
previous administration,
the board, the medical
team, and the community
set up a platform—from
an infrastructure and clini
cal expertise perspective—
from which to launch.
We will complement that
quickly and be able to show
results. It’s about providing
compassionate, innovative
care with great outcomes.”
VIRTUAL TELETHON LIVE
November 16 at 7:30pm
The Mercy Ministries will beholding itsannualfundraisingevent
on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:30 p.m. Due to the recent COVID
surge in our area, the event will be held virtually for the second year
in a row. You can watch it online at www.TheMercyMinistries.org/
LIVE or on their Facebook page @TheMercyClinic.
The Mercy Ministries is a non-profit medical clinic that offers
primary medical care, dental services, pastoral care/counseling and
financial/work-readiness training. Mercy's mission is to put "God's
Love in Action ” by providing holistic healthcare for uninsured,
low-income adults and offering a healthier way to live through
transformation of health, heart and home. There are two clinic
locations - Lyons and Graham.
Tune in on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:30 p.m. to see heart
warming and inspiring stories of lives being impacted right here in
our own community.
cvww.TheV^te^mvtinistries.org/LIVE
Vidalia DDA Takes Over Econo Inn Project
By Makaylee Randolph
Staff Writer
mrandolphadvance@gmail.com
The Vidalia Downtown
Development Authority
(DDA) has been working
to transition the purchase of
the Econo Inn by the City
of Vidalia to the DDA, so
that the authority can take
control of the project. In the
effort to facilitate the transi
tion, the DDA has sought a
taxable revenue bond in the
amount of $ 1.4 million from
Mount Vernon Bank.
In August, the City of
Vidalia purchased the Econo
Inn property on Main Street
for an unspecified economic
development project. This
project will be moved for
ward by the DDA.
Legal counsel and me
diation is being provided to
the DDA by DDA Attorney
Justin Franklin and the Gray
Pannell & Woodward finan
cial law firm. Gray Pannell
& Woodward Associate Ste
phen G. Swinson informed
DDA members that a tax
able revenue bond provides
for the City to finance pay
ments on the bond through
their funding, but could en
able up to 3 mills of taxes to
be levied if the City cannot
pay for service because of
debt and insufficient fund
ing.
City Manager Nick
Overstreet assured the DDA
that the method of financing
payments that had been dis
cussed was through Special
Purpose Local Option Sales
Tax (SPLOST) firnds. “The
Vidalia City Council has
done an extremely good job
at holding tight to SPLOST
money,” he said. “I think
we’ll be just fine.”
Mount Vernon Bank
provided the best bid for the
bond, with an interest rate
being fixed at 1.95% and the
bond having a 10-year ma
turity rate. Payments on the
bond will occur semiannu
ally, and there is no prepay
ment penalty on the bond.
Franklin made a dis
closure statement regarding
the Mount Vernon Bank
bid because of his affilia
tion with the bank’s Board.
“I was not involved in solic
iting financial options this
time because I disposed of
that conflict early on. Thus,
Stephen Swinson and other
Gray Pannell & Woodward
associates handled that mat-
ter.
The bond was unani
mously approved by DDA
members and the bond vali
dation was filed by Swinson
and Franklin. A hearing was
held on October 7 to allow
anyone who opposed the
project to share their peti
tions and/or complaints.
No outstanding objections
were made regarding the
bond and the closing has
been finalized.
Redistricting complaints
get down to local level
By Dave Williams
Bureau Chief
Capitol Beat News Service
Georgians whose cit
ies and counties would be
divided under a new state
House map proposed by
legislative Republicans
complained Monday the
new districts would unfairly
dilute their voting power.
During a nearly three-
hour hearing, residents from
Coweta County, Peachtree
City, Dunwoody and other
communities pleaded with
members of the House Leg
islative & Congressional
Reapportionment Com
mittee not to divide their
communities into multiple
House districts in order to
accommodate population
changes reflected in the
2020 U.S. Census.
“The plan you have is
going to be a loss of voice
for so many people in
Peachtree City,” said Su
zanne Brown of Peachtree
City, which would be split
between two districts under
the proposed map.
A large portion of the
audience at Monday’s hear
ing traveled to the Georgia
Capitol from Peachtree
City, Newnan and other
portions of Coweta and
Fayette counties southwest
of Atlanta.
Several accused House
Republicans of splitting
their communities in order
to target Rep. Philip Sin
gleton, a Republican from
Sharpsburg who has been
critical of GOP leadership.
The proposed map draws
Singleton into a predomi
nantly Democratic district
in South Fulton County,
splitting Coweta County
among five districts in the
process.
“For a Republican
group to gut Coweta Coun
ty the way we’ve been gut
ted, I wonder about the
party I’ve been involved in,”
said Jan Horn, a Republi
can activist from Coweta
County.
Mike Crane, a former
state senator from Newnan,
suggested an alternative
map proposed by House
Democrats would keep
more communities of inter
est together than the Re
publican map.
“These maps are hurt
ful,” Crane told committee
members. “If you don’t fix
these maps ... your vote will
indicate who you answer
to, your constituents or the
speaker of the House.”
Singleton appeared
before the committee to
suggest changes to the map
he said would keep wholly
within heavily Republican
Coweta County two House
districts the proposed map
would split and likely flip to
the Democrats.
Indeed, the committee
introduced a new House
map on Monday with some
minor changes from the
map proposed last week,
mostly in metro Atlanta.
However, none of the
changes Singleton request
ed were incorporated into
the new map.
Rep. Bonnie Rich, R-
Suwanee, the committee’s
chairman, said dividing cit
ies and counties is an inevi
table part of the redistrict
ing process, made necessary
by the legal requirements
to create districts roughly
equal in population and
comply with the federal
Voting Rights Act.
“I am sympathetic to
your plight,” Rich told the
group that attended Mon
day’s hearing to register
their objections. “[But]
population is what drives
this whole process.”
Crossword Puzzle
Solution, page 14A
CLUES ACROSS
1. Taxis
5. Mega energy unit (abbr.)
8. Single-strand break
11. Combinations of countries
13. Cutting tool
14. Small bay in Gulf of Maine
15. Actress Lathan
16. Chatter incessantly
17. Energy, style and enthusiasm
18. Simple shoe
20. Woman (French)
21. Abnormal rattling sound
22. Able to change
25. Future butterfly
30. Used in cooking and medicine
31. A street for nightmares
32. French modernist painter
33. Dishonors
38. Integrated data processing
41. Frameworks
43. Apply new materials
45. Where merch is displayed
48. American figure skater Lipinski
49. Cycles per second
50. Oohed and
55. Dark olive black
56. Peyton’s little brother
57. Plant in the bean family
59. A wife: covert
60. Bom of
61. Arranges balls on the pool table
62. Title of Italian monk
63. Tooth caregiver
64. American feminist poet
CLUES DOWN
1. Dan Rather’s old network
2. Expression of sorrow or pity
3. fide (Latin)
4. Sign of healing
5. Warm-blooded vertebrate
6. Model
7. Of or relating to plants
8. Plant of the heath family
9. Where to weigh something
10. Internal structure
12. Paulo, city
14. South Slavic person
19. A way to record
23. Have already done
24. As much as one can hold
25. Auburn legend Newton
26. Comedienne Gasteyer
27. Beloved dog Rin Tin
28. Midway between east
and southeast
29. Call it a career
34. Former CIA
35. American time
36. Confederate general
37. Soviet Socialist Republic
39. Travel downward
40. Made red-blue
41. Vietnamese revolutionary Le Due
42. Capital of Italy
44. Small bunches of flowers
45. Calvary sword
46. A distinctive, pleasant odor
47. A well-defined track or path
48. Cereal used to make flour
51. Retrospective analysis (abbr.)
52. Grayish white
53. Engrave
54. Famed men’s basketball program
58. Midway between south
and southeast
