After reviewing totals for September's finances, Erlanger at Hutcheson's budget and finance committee announced a long-awaited, system wide profit of $91,104, bringing the North Georgia health system out of the red for the first time since January 2009.

July and August showed marginal profit for hospital operations, but according to a recent news release, this is the first system wide gain for the Fort Oglethorpe hospital.

Board executives, including president and CEO Roger Forgey, credit the substantial strides to increases in patient numbers, as well as surgeries and emergency department patient volumes.

“We are excited to announce the hospital's first system profit in almost three years,” Forgey said. “It demonstrates our employees' dedication to turning this hospital around and indicates the growing support of physicians and residents in the north Georgia community.”

September's profit is a $323,499 improvement over the monthly budgeted loss and a $1.87 million improvement compared with last year.