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ALBANY, GA --
Phoebe Putney's Board of Directors announced the plan to develop a free-standing women's and children's hospital at Phoebe North during Wednesday's meeting.

The proposed hospital is supported by Phoebe's medical executive committee and is one of the four sectors the committee previously cited as an area of need.

"The joining of two hospitals into one hospital really now gives the region the opportunity to have a world-class women's and children's hospital. A facility in and of itself that can care for the needs much better than we're presently doing now for women and children," said Dr. Steven Wolinsky, President of the Medical Executive Committee.

Phoebe has been reviewing what use would be best for the Phoebe North campus for months and says a women's and children's hospital will also create free space in the main campus for critical care and trauma service expansion, which were two of the other areas of need.

The last area Phoebe says they will focus on is consolidated inpatient rehabilitation, which is scheduled to move to Phoebe North this month.

Phoebe will hold a series of internal stakeholder sessions with various employees to figure out a concept plan before presenting it to the board.