AMERICUS — Underneath an orchard of pecan trees, hundreds of guests looked on as a line of City and County leaders, state representatives, Phoebe Sumter employees and a former U.S. President and first lady dug their shovels into the ground, and started the rebuilding process for healthcare in Sumter County.

In what now is just a pecan orchard, will in two years time become the campus of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center which will feature a four-story, 76-bed hospital. Three free-standing medical office buildings will also be constructed, which will house oncology, surgery, women and children’s health services, wellness and orthopedics. The 40-acre construction site will also feature a running/walking track.

At the event, Keith Petersen, who has served as interim CEO for the hospital since July, was named chief executive officer of Phoebe Sumter Medical Center. The appointment was approved unanimously today by the hospital's board of directors at its noon meeting held at Georgia Southwestern State University.

Joel Wernick, president/CEO of Phoebe Putney Health System and chairman of the Phoebe Sumter Hospital Board, said, “We conducted a nationwide search for a candidate to lead this hospital and the healthcare delivery here to the next level. Keith Petersen has a proven record in the board’s required skill sets as we begin rebuilding our medical staff and our facilities. He has done an outstanding job in his months as the interim at Phoebe Sumter.”

Petersen is no stranger to Phoebe Health Systems, or to Southwest Georgia in Cuthbert. He joined Phoebe in 1998, to manage Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center, which was designated the first critical access hospital in the state. In 2002, he became the CEO of Phoebe Worth Medical Center in Sylvester. “It is gratifying and exciting to be part of the rebuilding of healthcare system in Americus and Sumter County,” said Petersen Wednesday. “I have had a unique opportunity to see first-hand the enthusiasm this community has for its hospital. The support is incredible.”

Wayne Arrington, chairman of the Americus and Sumter County Hospital Authority, opened up the remarks portion of the program. “This is an exciting and important day for the citizens of Sumter County,” said Arrington.

Arrington went on to say what those that followed him echoed, “We are going to have the best equipped, most modern, most beautiful small-town hospital in the country, a hospital we can rely on, be proud of, and I can tell you it is going to happen.”

The keynote speaker for the event was former President Jimmy Carter, who spoke of the importance of healthcare, and the impact that the service provider has on the community. “I think one of the things we all need to remember is how historic this occasion will be,” said Carter. “The quality of healthcare is one of the most active measurements of the quality of a community. It shows not only the presence of great and dedicated healthcare professionals, but it also indicates quite clearly the degree that various people in the community can work together in harmony to bring about the realization of an exhalted dream.”

Carter went on to talk about how the 2007 tornado affected the community, bringing everyone together. “I have seen more than any other organization in Sumter County, the hospital has brought us together, Leslie, DeSoto, Andersonville, Plains,” said Carter. “We all are kind of drawn together over the fact that we share a wonderful medical institution. Tragedy struck. It would have been much more serious if it was not for the expansion of the people of Sumter County to be embraced by and embrace in return our friends in Albany. I think there is no doubt that since that time there has been a rapidly increasing feeling of common destiny, of a warm, interpersonal relationship with the people of both communities.”

After Carter’s remarks, state Rep. Mike Cheokas, D-Americus, spoke about the day of the tornado, and how the people in the community showed their ability to come together. “One of the things that I remember very vividly, was Council member Walton Grant standing in the parking lot of the interim facility, ready to help out his community after having his own business destroyed. That dedication is unmatched anywhere. After that, I was so proud to give the Governor updates on how this community came together. I would always begin my remarks by saying that I represent the greatest district, and I think it’s because of all the people coming together and setting the tone for the future.”

Sumter County Board of Commissioners Chair Brent Williams commented, “It’s a great day for Americus and Sumter County. The weather was like this on March 2, 2007, clear skies, but it was the ending of the hospital as we know it. It was the end of the hospital where my children were delivered at, and medical procedures with family and friends, and now we are at a beginning.” Williams also commented on the site for the hospital, saying, “I have passed this site many times in my life, and when they first announced that this was going to be the site for the new hospital and I didn’t really think about it, but then I realized what a great site for the hospital. What a great visionary. This is a 280-acre site. I don’t think that there is a site in the United States that has 280 acres to build a health care facility. Most healthcare facilities are built within the city and are constantly trying to move houses, and grow to meet the needs of the people. Here we have the acreage and the elevation to build a wonderful facility.”

The new hospital is slated to take two years to build and is expected to be completed in 2011.