Dr. Ruslan Garcia is one of the hospitalists at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital in Peachtree. His service makes it possible for patients to stay locally, as opposed to being treated at another facility outside of Cherokee County.
Peachtree – When hospitals are unable to treat people due to the lack of needed equipment or personnel, the patient may be taken elsewhere. However, relocation to another facility often causes stress not only for the patient but for family members.
This is when a hospitalist is invaluable.
Meet Dr. Ruslan “Rus” Garcia, director of hospital medicine at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital. He is one of the hospitalists who may be able to keep patients from having to relocate to another facility.
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When a person goes to the emergency room, they are either treated and released, or they are admitted to the hospital. When a patient is too sick to be released, they move from the ER to the hospital ward, where they will then see a hospitalist, such as Garcia.
A hospitalist is skilled and capable of performing many procedures; Garcia is a general physician specializing in internal medicine. Erlanger is committed to having a team of hospitalists available.
“I really want our patients to have a place in the area they can go to if they’re really sick, and feel confident that they’re gonna get excellent care,” Garcia said. “We’ll offer them all the resources of the larger hospital if we need to but our job is to treat them here at Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital.”
However, Erlanger is not a trauma hospital, which means patients needing that level of care will still need to be transported elsewhere.
The hospital is able to treat patients needing general care as well as for such things as infections that can lead to complications such as sepsis, difficulty breathing from heart disease or COPD, complications from diabetes and many other conditions. They are also able to care for people withdrawing from drugs and alcohol, which can be life-threatening.
Common surgical conditions that can be treated at Erlanger by the surgical team include appendicitis, inflamed gallbladder, intestinal blockages, rectal bleeding, kidney stones, diabetic ulcers and clots in the arteries or veins of the legs. Garcia said patients can be confident that the local hospital has the personnel and expertise to care for them in a safe facility.
Shirley Payne of Andrews was treated at Erlanger.
“Every person was kind and very professional and thorough,” Payne said of her experience being a patient. “They went out of the way with food, they made a special meal that wasn’t even on the menu.”
Payne said Erlanger was equipped to do most of what she needed.
“Absolutely wonderful,” added Karen Crisp of Robbinsville, who was treated at Erlanger and wouldn’t hesitate to return if needed. She said the rooms were clean, and everyone went above and beyond with her care.
Crisp said the doctors took their time and made sure there was a plan in place to help before and after her release. She also spoke highly of the nurses in charge of her care, according to the patient’s survey.
Erlanger would like to thank the specialists who partner with the hospitalist team, as a majority of patients requiring surgery who enter the ER are able to obtain care right there. Specialists working with the hospitalist team include a general surgeon, orthopedist, urologist, podiatrist and vascular cardiologist.
Erlanger is also partnering with tele-neurology specialists, which is comprise of a group of neurologists that see patients remotely via a computer in the patient’s room. They can diagnose and even treat certain types of strokes right in the facility.
Details: Visit erlanger.org/locations/erlanger-hospitals/erlanger-western-carolina-hospital or call 828-837-8161.