Construction begins on ambulatory surgery center in Baldwin County

Louis Mapp speaks at the ground-breaking event for the Mapp Family Campus in Baldwin County. The campus is named in honor of him and wife, Melinda Mapp, who donated the nearly eight acres of land on which the campus will be built. 

Focused on meeting the healthcare needs of the upper Gulf Coast region, USA Health this week formally broke ground on the Mapp Family Campus in Baldwin County. Located at the southeast corner of state highways 181 and 104 in Fairhope, the campus will be home to an ambulatory surgery center and a physician office building.

“Collaborating with community physicians, providers from USA Health will bring their specialized expertise to meet the healthcare needs of the people in the region,” said Owen Bailey, M.H.A., FACHE, chief executive officer of USA Health. “As the only academic healthcare system in the region, USA Health continues to expand relationships with community providers and other partners, as we strive to provide increased access to the care that people need and deserve.”

Approximately 50 percent of the population of Baldwin County lives within 15 miles of the Mapp Family Campus.

“The Mapp Family Campus will be another important location for educating and training the next generation of healthcare providers,” said John Marymont, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the USA College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “Having this additional site will help USA Health try to alleviate some of the healthcare provider shortages we are facing.”

Errol Crook, M.D., professor and chair of internal medicine,

addresses attendees of the ground-breaking ceremony.

The campus will be home to a three-story, 50,000-square-foot physician office building, staffed with primary and specialty care providers to better meet the healthcare needs of the people in the region. Specialties will include neurology, cardiology and surgical specialties, pediatric and adult gastroenterology and urology. The building also will house a full array of imaging technology, including X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, CT and MRI.

USA Health physicians and other providers will incorporate health and wellness strategies for their patients along with traditional medicine. A demonstration kitchen and community room will be included in the facility. Caregivers and coaches will provide opportunities to engage patients in movement, relaxation and healthy-eating classes, with the goal of helping people lead longer, better lives.

Within the 25,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center, surgeons from USA Health and the community will utilize some of the most technologically advanced surgical equipment, including a Mako robotic arm to assist in total joint replacements. Surgical specialists in pediatrics, orthopaedics, urology, general surgery, gastroenterology, ear, nose and throat, and more will care for patients at the new ambulatory surgery center. This ASC is anticipated to eliminate the need for people to leave Baldwin County for surgery, keeping them closer to their homes and loved ones.

Louis and Melinda Mapp donated the nearly eight acres of land that the campus will sit on, and the University of South Alabama named the campus in their honor. The Mapps are long-time supporters of USA Health, as well as volunteers at University Hospital and Children’s & Women’s Hospital.

“I have seen first-hand the impact that academic medicine can have on people,” Louis Mapp said. “We are honored to be a part of bringing that level of care to this part of our region.”

Designed to create a peaceful environment, the Mapp Family Campus will have multiple water features, walking paths, and outdoor educational and gathering areas. Plans also call for the campus to contain an indoor educational component, which can be utilized for providing patients with nutritional and prevention strategies related to wellness.

View more photos from the ground-breaking event on Flickr.