Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home

The Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home is a 192-bed skilled nursing care facility located adjacent to the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta. It is operated under an interagency agreement with the Medical College of Georgia.

Primarily a facility to provide care to the aged and infirm Georgia veterans, the GWVNH also serves as a teaching facility to acquaint medical and allied health students with medical conditions and diseases that confront the aged. This provides the student with practical experience and helps them gain expertise in treating the elderly.

The facility also houses a Georgia Department of Veterans Service field office which serves veterans of Richmond and Columbia counties.

Dedicated in 1969, the facility was the first of its kind in the nation to be built with financial assistance from the federal government. It is one of a select group of such institutions in the United States that has been accredited by the Joint Commission.

In FY-08, the facility provided 65,021 days of care to Georgia Veterans with an average age of 79. During the year, there were 232 admissions and 254 discharges with an average length of stay of 251 days. Services to our patients included 3,513 physical therapy treatments, 3,511 individual occupational therapy procedures. Patients were seen by the facility Medical Director and 17 family medicine residents providing daily medical coverage to each patient. Patient services were also offered by a certified Activities Therapist and staff, two facility Social Workers and a staff of registered nurses and certified nursing assistants.

To help provide care and treatment, the federal government provided financial assistance totaling $4,583,238 during 2008.

During the year, planning was finalized for a major renovation project to beginning in November 2008. Upgrades and improvements are scheduled to be completed in individual patient bathrooms and congregate showers. Nursing stations on each unit will be redesigned to protect patient privacy and improve communication. Upgrades to the facility dining room, major kitchen renovations and improvement in heating and air conditioning systems are also planned for this project.

Throughout the year, veteran organizations, civic and fraternal organizations, and religious groups demonstrated their concern for the well being of the ailing veterans through numerous donations and the continuing sponsorship of frequent veteran-related activities.

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