Riverview Regional Medical Center has a rich history of providing high-quality health care to residents of Gadsden and Etowah County. As the area has grown, Riverview Regional has kept pace, adding revolutionary medical technology and upgrades to offer patients the most progressive methods of health care.

Riverview Regional Medical Center, which was acquired by Prime Healthcare in 2015, is a Joint Commission-accredited, acute care hospital serving the more than 350,000 residents in Etowah and surrounding counties.

Sandra Lee, RN, BSN, has been with Riverview Regional Medical Center since before Prime Healthcare stepped in and transformed the facility. She has lived through the improvements to the hospital, its culture, and its enduring spirit.

“We were a mere shell of the hospital that the ‘Sisters’ had lovingly built. My skepticism was quickly replaced by hope.  Almost immediately, Prime began to invest in our facility and our people…it was like the “re-birth of Riverview.”

As a physician-led health system, Prime immediately brought meaningful improvements to Riverview, including new monitoring systems, defibrillators, crash carts, IV pumps, and an Epic electronic health record were implemented, breathing life into the morale of staff and helping to create a better care environment for patients.

“All of it was state-of-the-art. Upgrades began on our physical facility … a new roof, new windows, re-painting … the change was almost immediately noticed by our community,” Lee said. “We were alive again!”

“Prime also provided us with evidence-based procedures, processes, education, and support to ensure we are providing the best for our citizens. Our community began to have faith in us again. Today, our census is flourishing, and our future is bright. Prime also shared the pride of our past. Soon after we were purchased, they replaced the cross on top of our hospital with a bigger, brighter cross! A cross that shines brightly as a reminder to our citizens that there is hope for healing, hope for new life here at our hospital. Sometimes, we find ourselves in awe of all that has happened since Prime acquired us in 2015, and the “Sisters” that once owned us would greatly approve of all that Prime has done to restore our hospital to its former glory and beyond. I am thankful every day that Prime Healthcare purchased our hospital and “proud to be Prime!”