Savannah Chamber

30 through 2028, with planned capital expenses on tourism products by the city totaling $12.6 million in FY 2025 and almost $20 million in FY 2026. Of the $85 million total, $30 million is scheduled for redevelopment of the Savannah Waterfront, $20 million for the Waterworks building near Enmarket Arena, and $10 million for the Tide-to-Town trail system. Health Services The regional health care sector continues to be a stalwart of economic consistency and growth since 2007. This sector is resistant to cyclical downturns and experienced fewer job losses during both the pandemic recession and the Great Recession (2007-09). As of the second quarter of 2024, annual employment growth was 3.3% increasing the number of jobs to 28,200 in the seven- county combined statistical area centered on Savannah. As a regional healthcare delivery center, the health sector continues to be a vital component of the area's economy and growth prospects are good in the short and long run. The two nationally recognized medical centers in Savannah, St. Joseph's/Candler (SJC) and Hospital Corporation of America's (HCA) Memorial University Medical Center serve the healthcare needs of people from across Georgia's southeastern region. The Medical College of Georgia opened a new four-year campus in Savannah at Georgia Southern University. The entire program can be completed at the Savannah campus and the first in-coming class numbers 41 students. The program is in collaboration with Georgia Southern University which is offering 23,000 square feet of instructional and lab space in two buildings on its Savannah campus. Student rotations in the SJC health system, first established in 2007, will continue and are facilitated by the close proximity of St. Joseph's Hospital to the MCG facility at Georgia Southern's Armstrong campus in Savannah. SJC opened a new 15,000 square foot facility in Bryan County's Richmond Hill near the Heartwood community in February 2024, The initial $15.5 million investment is part of a master plan that ultimately could see 225,000 square feet of medical office space in up to 5 buildings as needed in conjunction with population growth in the south Bryan County area. Further, plans are in motion to provide additional medical services in a 10,000 square foot medical center near the Hyundai Metaplant in north Bryan County. SJC has attained national recognition for its exceptional high-quality care provided to stroke patients. The hospital was awarded the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke GoldPlus quality achievement award for meeting the criteria of reducing disability and the time between a patients arrival at the facility and treatment. Memorial Health has provided high-quality healthcare services since 1955, giving patients access to highly trained physicians and advanced technology. The flagship, Memorial Health University Medical Center, is a 711-bed teaching hospital and one of the region's leading acute care facilities, serving 35 counties in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. Located in Savannah, Georgia, Memorial Health is a regional referral center for heart care, cancer care, trauma care, children's care, high-risk pregnancies and high-risk newborn care. The hospital includes the region's only American College of Surgeons (ACS) verified Level 1 trauma center, DNV Healthcare certified comprehensive stroke center, and ACS Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program accredited bariatric surgery program. Memorial Health is also home to the region's only children's hospital and Level III neonatal intensive care. The healthcare system boasts a growing primary and specialty care physician network and Consult-A-Nurse®, a 24-hour call center. Memorial Health has a major medical education program that trains physicians in six residency programs and two fellowship programs. A four-year medical school, Mercer University School of Medicine – Savannah, is also located on the Memorial Health campus. On February 1, 2018, Memorial Health joined HCA Healthcare, one of the nation's leading providers of healthcare services with more than 186 hospitals and 2,400+ sites of care in 20 states and in the United Kingdom. Since joining HCA Healthcare, Memorial Health has invested more than $325M in capital improvements, equipment and technology, paid more than $130M in taxes and donated more than $1.75M to local charitable organizations. Memorial Health employs more than 4,300 colleagues. Memorial Health has an aggressive growth plan for our region. The hospital has applications with the Georgia Department of Community Health for two freestanding emergency rooms – one in Pooler and one in Richmond Hill. A $35M medical office building on the hospital campus is expected to be opened in January 2025. A new $28M medical office building in Pooler is under construction with plans to be completed in Fall 2025. This facility will include a new campus of the Galen College of Nursing.

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