This Month in Archbold History: East Tower Opens at Archbold Memorial

February 2006

East Tower Opens at Archbold Memorial

The construction of the East Tower represented a 90,000-square-foot addition to Archbold Memorial. It has been the entrance for so many of Archbold’s hardworking team members each day, the site of many significant Archbold events, and the center of Archbold’s vaccination efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. This month in Archbold history, in February 2006, the building opened to the public.

On the ground floor, the Thomas Lyle Williams, Jr., Auditorium and adjacent classrooms have provided significant opportunities for staff education, medical staff collaboration, and community outreach events.

Most significantly, the East Tower represented the creation of the R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr., Heart and Vascular Center, centralizing heart and vascular services in one location and more than doubling the space for diagnostic and interventional procedures, with a new Cardiac Progressive Unit for patient care just above other cardiac services.

The East Tower also provided a new patient care floor for the Nephrology Unit, meeting a significant need in our community for inpatient dialysis services and acute care for patients with kidney disease.

Archbold Memorial Hospital President James Story, MD, and Chief Operating Officer Perry Mustian, who would later serve as President & CEO, cut the ribbon to mark the building's ceremonial opening. T-shirts were distributed during the opening festivities, and one is preserved in the collection of the Thomasville History Center.

"These fine new facilities make it possible for heart patients here in our community to stay at home for treatment rather than traveling to large cities,” said Sally Bain, director of Archbold Cardiovascular Services at the time.

The East Tower’s construction is a testament to Archbold’s consistent efforts to offer Southwest Georgia the most modern and efficient healthcare services.

To learn more about Heart & Vascular services at Archbold, please visit www.archbold.org/HEART