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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Dr. Swaid Swaid stands in an operating room.
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Photo by Erin Nelson.
Medical staff perform a spinal surgery on a patient at the Swaid Vestavia Medical Center’s Surgical Institute of Alabama on Jan. 18.
While 2020 was a tough year, Dr. Swaid Swaid said the new Swaid Vestavia Medical Center has still done well and is providing superior health care for its patients.
The clinic, located on U.S. 31 near Vestavia Hills City Hall, celebrated its one-year anniversary Jan. 13. After coming to a “screeching halt” in mid-March due to COVID-19, the clinic is now seeing about 450 people each month and is operating at full capacity, Swaid said.
In addition to seeing patients regularly, Swaid said the clinic has added more staff, bringing the total number of employees to about 50 people. When the pandemic initially hit, employees were thankfully unaffected, he said.
“I made the decision we weren’t going to lay off a single employee,” Swaid said.
The clinic has enjoyed a positive relationship with the Vestavia Hills Police Department, which has used the clinic as a medical resource for its officers, he added.
The clinic includes a surgery center, as well as medical offices and diagnostic services. Surgeries offered include spinal, orthopedic, vascular, eye and general surgery. The clinic also helps with intervention for pain management, Swaid said. Some of those surgeries have traditionally only been offered in hospitals, and, especially with the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus, it has been a game-changer to offer same-day surgery and get patients in and out, Swaid said.
“It’s amazing,” Swaid said. “Patients are happy to go home. … We consider this to be a great success.”
Staff follows up with patients, and if they’re coming from out of town, staff might ask them to spend the night in an area hotel, just in case something were to happen, Swaid said.
The new space is bigger and better for patients and staff, and it allows patients to have medical visits, diagnostic services and surgery all done in the same place. In addition, the physical therapy staff upstairs is doing a tremendous job, Swaid said.
To keep patients and staff safe, precautions are being taken, including mask wearing and social distancing. Additionally, every patient takes a polymerase chain reaction COVID-19 test (the more accurate test) within 48 hours before surgery, Swaid said. If staff members are showing symptoms, they are paid to stay home, he added.
Swaid said the clinic’s budget had to be adjusted to deal with the rising cost of personal protective equipment and other equipment due to the pandemic, which has affected the clinic’s profitability and ability to retire debt. However, he said the clinic is in stable financial condition, and he hopes things will continue improving as people get vaccinated.
As COVID-19 hopefully comes under control, Swaid said he is hoping to expand the medical services offered at the clinic, including robotic surgeries for the spine. He is trying to obtain the equipment for those surgeries, he said.
The clinic already offers robotic surgery for joints, which helps make fittings more precise and comfortable for the patient, he said.
For more information, visit vestaviamedcenter.com.
