VALDOSTA — When Hughston Clinic decided it could no longer operate the occupational medicine facility at the Southside Clinic, South Georgia Medical Center came to the rescue.

Renaming the facility Convenient Care South, SGMC is now responsible for both the occupational medicine facility and the urgent care clinic, located in the Ralph Council Medical Building at 520 Griffin Ave.

In the last six months, Hughston Clinic has reorganized and laid off hundreds of workers in Georgia. Operating locally through an arrangement with SGMC at the Southside Clinic, Hughston had its own staff and space in the Southside Clinic facility, but decided to discontinue its involvement at the end of February.

“There was a need in the community and a desire on the part of the business community for this service,” said Pam Cartwright, assistant administrator of clinical services for SGMC. “Our choice was to either discontinue the service or take it over.”

On March 1, SGMC assumed the supervision of the occupational medicine clinic and brought the employees, including Dr. Jack Sherrer, onto its payroll.

Sherrer came to Valdosta from Columbus with the Hughston Clinic in May 2002 to open the occupational medicine facility. He will continue to see patients on the occupational medicine side as well as those who come in needing urgent care.

Board certified in family medicine, Sherrer provides treatment for patients who don’t need to visit the emergency room but need to see a doctor that day. He also supervises all aspects of the occupational medicine services, including worker’s compensation issues, pre-employment drug screens and physicals, random drug testing, hearing and vision services.

The clinic is conveniently located close to the industrial parks on the south side of town. In order to adequately care for the patients he sees from the many industries in the area, Sherrer said he routinely takes facility tours.

“I need to see where they work and the equipment they use to better understand how they got hurt and what they can do when they go back to work,” Sherrer said.

The Southside clinic opened in December 2000 to meet the needs of a previously underserved area of the community. The medical building is named in honor of Ralph Council, a member of the Hospital Authority Board and a strong proponent for the facility.

Convenient Care South is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.



To contact Business Editor Kay Harris, please call 244-3400, ext. 280.