health
Growth & Technology lead the way in Huntsville
Healthcare
By Kimberly Ballard
A
ccording to the Cost of Living Index, healthcare costs in Huntsville are lower than the national average by 4.5 percentage points and lower than that of four out of five comparable U.S. technology communities including Austin, TX; Charlotte, NC; Raleigh, NC; and Richmond, VA. With three comprehensive healthcare facilities including Huntsville Hospital, Crestwood Medical Center, and Clearview Cancer Institute, Huntsville offers a wide variety of specialized medical and health-related programs, facilities, and practices. From alternative and preventative medicine to weight-loss, anti-aging, and treatment for addiction, behavioral and mental health issues; to obstetrics, gynecology, and orthopedic/sports medicine, Huntsville provides quality multidisciplinary healthcare to all ages from women and children to geriatrics. Residents will also find advanced family and aesthetic dentistry; advanced technology in hearing and vision loss, hip knee replacement; sleep According to the Cost of and disorders; and the finest in Living Index, healthcare costs post-surgical rehabilitation and physical therapy.
in Huntsville are lower than the national average by 4.5 percentage points and lower than that of four out of five comparable U.S. technology communities.
68 • www.hsvchamber.org
THE HUNTSVILLE HOSPITAL HEALTH SYSTEM Established in 1895 for charitable purposes by a concerned group of women, Huntsville Hospital (HH) is the second largest hospital in
Alabama, serving hundreds of thousands of patients as the major referral center for North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. Throughout its 120-year history, HH has been community-owned. Accredited by The Joint Commission, today, the Health Care Authority of the City of Huntsville provides volunteer governance of the 941-bed hospital. More than 7,500 staff members serve patients and families at its hospital facilities in Madison County, including the main campus, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children, and Madison Hospital. In more recent years the development of Huntsville Hospital Health System (HHHS) has extended the hospital’s service throughout the Tennessee Valley with affiliate hospitals located in Athens, Decatur, Sheffield, Red Bay, Moulton, Russellville, Winfield, and Haleyville. Combined, the Health System represents more than 2,000 hospital beds, 12,000 staff members, and 1,100 physicians. HHHS was ranked the third largest publicly owned hospital system in the nation by Modern Healthcare magazine in June 2015. At the heart of HH’s services is the region’s most experienced team of healthcare professionals providing a very advanced level of care. Led by nearly 3,000 nurses who support the work of 750 medical staff members, together they provide the Tennessee Valley with the region’s only Level One Trauma program and advanced surgical services including neurosurgical, orthopedic, and spinal care surgery, making them the only hospital in Alabama to be included in Healthgrades’ Top 100 Hospitals for Spine Surgery in 2015.