Health Care Services
Burke
County is fortunate to be served by a number of healthcare entities
which allows its residents to seek care from a variety of healthcare
providers.
Both
Grace Hospital in Morganton and Valdese Hospital in Valdese are part
of Blue Ridge HealthCare (BRHC), a community healthcare system serving
Burke, Caldwell and McDowell counties.
BRHC's tradition of
bringing advanced healthcare to the community ranges from North Carolina's
longest accredited Cancer Center at Valdese Hospital to the opening
of the Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute at Blue Ridge HealthCare
in 2009, a partnership between BRHC and the pioneering physician group
renowned for introducing breakthrough treatments in cardiac care to
the Carolinas for more than 50 years.
Since 2005, BRHC has
invested more than $125 million to create 21st century facilities dedicated
to women’s and children’s health (including a neonatal intensive care
nursery), orthopedic medicine, cancer care and heart care, among other
services. This investment in community health also created two state-of-the
art outpatient centers that opened in 2007, one at each hospital, designed
around patient convenience. They provide access to advanced Imaging
Centers with technology ranging from state-of-the-art CTs and MRIs to
PET scanning. A Ladies Health Pavilion at Grace Hospital is devoted
especially to digital mammography and other diagnostic services for
women, all delivered with a caring touch. At Valdese Hospital, a new
Rehabilitation Services Center opened in 2007 as part of the new construction.
Accredited by The Joint Commission, Both hospitals feature Day Surgery
Centers where many of the 170 physicians on the medical staffs perform
the latest in outpatient minimally invasive surgeries, as well as inpatient
surgery suites for more complex conditions.
In addition to the
hospitals, Blue Ridge HealthCare’s family of services includes the Phifer
Wellness Center, a 26,000 sq.ft. wellness and fitness facility staffed
by exercise physiologists. College Pines and Grace Heights Health &
Rehabilitation Centers provide skilled, intermediate and assisted living
care, as well as short-term rehabilitation services. Grace Ridge Retirement
Community, an accredited Continuing Care Retirement Community, offers
continuing care retirement options for residents from its breathtaking
52-acre site in Morganton. Burke County is also home to different practices
that offer general and family medical services as well as specialists
in all major areas of medicine.
Each fire district in Burke County furnishes fire protection and first
responder services. First responders are located in all communities
and often arrive upon the scene where assistance is needed prior to
the advanced life support services. They render basic life support and
stabilization services until the advanced life support unit arrives.
Burke County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) provides the advanced
life support services throughout the county. Five (5) ambulances operate
24 hours per day seven (7) days per week. A sixth unit is available
forty (40) hours per week.
Three EMS units are located in Morganton, one in Glen Alpine (western
part of the County), and one each in Hildebran and Rutherford College
(eastern Burke County). An additional advanced life support unit is
stationed in Jonas Ridge located in the extreme northwestern part of
the county. The EMS units are backed up by members of the Burke County
Rescue Squad. In addition, a helicopter is stationed at Grace Hospital
to fly patients that need special treatment to hospitals outside of
Burke County. The Burke County Sheriff's Office maintains a RUOK program
for seniors. Those involved in the program receive three calls each
day to be sure that they are not in need of emergency services. If the
senior does not respond, an employee of the Sheriff's Department is
dispatched to the home of the senior. Indeed, when it comes to finding
a healthcare provider, choices are plentiful. For most people, this
is an important requirement before deciding to relocate to any community.
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