The Critical Role of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Our Community

Riezl Baker | May 26, 2022

As a Foundation Board Member of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital, I was recently asked why we continue to raise funds for the facility. My answer was that continuous fundraising is essential to ensure that we have the best facilities available and keep up with medical advances and latest technology that can help save and change lives. Fundraising helps ensure that our hospital can deliver the sophisticated, high quality care you need right here, close to home, today and for years to come.

The pandemic certainly magnified the critical role of Good Samaritan Hospital in protecting the health and safety of our community. We often associate hospitals with illness, but the impact of having a good hospital facility goes beyond the walls of its building. It extends beyond patient care. It is also a critical component to the economic viability of our area.

As a local resident for 24 years, I have witnessed this wonderful community evolve. I was here many years ago when they announced the conceptualization of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. People raised their eyebrows and almost unanimously responded with “What? A Ritz in middle Georgia?” But the hotel’s opening signaled the beginning of a new transformation. People came from all over the world and discovered this beautiful gem of a place, with unparalleled natural beauty and a plethora of amenities.

The opening of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in 2013 transformed healthcare in our community and contributed to the growth of the local economy. It has created new jobs, enhanced our quality of life and made this area more attractive to families. Many of our physicians see the tremendous value of the hospital to their practice as they can now perform not only ancillary tests but surgeries locally. A strong local hospital like Good Samaritan is vital to a community’s economic well-being and our area is positioned very well with its presence.

The Expanding Technology, Elevating Care $3 million Capital Campaign is raising funds for the state-of-the-art technology with the new 640 CT scanner, faster than the hospital’s current model. This will enable our healthcare providers to detect and diagnose heart conditions in a non-invasive manner as well as more efficient identification and treatment of stroke victims. The campaign will also allow for increased availability of MRI services.

Louie Seabolt, Foundation Board and Campaign Chair and his committees have worked hard to successfully raise funds in the midst of a pandemic and get us closer to our goal. This speaks volumes of Louie and the leaders who stepped up to undertake this, as well as the generous people of our community who are passionate about safeguarding the quality of healthcare where we live. We are so close to our goal and with your support, we can complete this capital campaign.

Many of us give back to our community through the philanthropic channels we are passionate about.

I hope that you will consider supporting this initiative and campaign that will help elevate the care provided at Good Samaritan Hospital. It is an important cornerstone of our area and beyond treating illness and saving lives, it serves as an economic engine in our community.

For more information or to make a donation to the “Expanding Technology, Elevating Care Capital Campaign,” please contact Louie at (706) 347-1942 or Riezl at (706) 347-2625.

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