My sister was unexpectedly hospitalized in Macon, Georgia today. None of us are from that area. (She is a Penn State grad. student only there for a couple days doing research on her dissertion.) Preliminary diagnosis is an intestinal blockage which will require surgery. Anyone familiar with Macon’s Northside Hospital? If not, are you familiar with a well-regarded teaching hospital in that area that we could send her to? Thanks.
My GF is from Macon. I’ve never been to the hospital there, but I would have some reservations as to it’s quality of care. It’s only a 70-80 minute drive to Atlanta from Macon. Is this a possibility? (Sorry if I sound ignorant, I have no idea what a “intestinal blockage” involves and whether or not she could be moved).
I wouldn’t worry about them using leaches or anything. Northside is only about 15 years old, so I imagine the facilities are pretty up to date.
http://www.coliseumhealthsystem.com/northmain.html
I’m with Ursa. The hospital in Macon should be fine. If you’re really uptight about it, though, the closest teaching hospital would be Emory Hospital in Atlanta. (c. 80 miles away).
Thanks, guys. The good news is that immediate surgery may not be required after all. (And my college roommate, who’s a gastroenterologist, has an old partner on staff at Emory, so that looks like the call if things deteriorate.)
Just wanted to point out that many reputable hospitals use leeches–true, not for intestinal surgery but for limb/digit reattachments and other reconstructive surgeries. So there! 
I have a hobby. I have the world’s largest collection of seashells. I keep it scattered on beaches all over the world. Maybe you’ve seen some of it.
I’ve just realized that my OP could be taken as questioning the quality of medical care generally in Georgia or the South. That wasn’t what generated my concern. Instead, it was based on the knowledge that all cities have hospitals that are questionable. I just wanted to make sure that my sister wasn’t at one of them.
(BTW, she was released yesterday. No surgery needed at this point.)