ALBANY — The Hughston Clinic, a renowned orthopaedic practice, is pleased to announce the recent opening of a new clinic in Albany, Ga. The $1.5 million, state-of-the-art facility provides residents in the Albany region access to world-class orthopaedic care.

The brand-new 8,000-square-foot building is conveniently located at 117 Oakland Pkwy. in Lee County, just off Georgia Hwy. 520. The Hughston Clinic has served Albany for decades, and most recently leased office space on Lake Park Drive.

“We are extremely excited about our new clinic in Albany,” said John I. Waldrop, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon and president of the Hughston Clinic. “This investment solidifies our commitment to patients in Albany, Lee County and other nearby communities. We are dedicated to providing the highest level of orthopaedic care to the Albany area.”

Based in Columbus, Ga., the Hughston Clinic is a multi-specialty orthopaedic practice with 19 physicians serving nine offices in Alabama and Georgia. The physicians provide expert treatment and surgery of the spine, knee, shoulder, hip, hand, elbow, foot and ankle, and offer services such as total joint replacement, sports medicine, trauma care, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and diagnostics (MRIs).

Six physicians from the Hughston Clinic serve Albany. They are: J. Kenneth Burkus, MD; James E. McGrory, MD; Lyle A. Norwood Jr., MD; David C. Rehak, M.D.; Michael M. Tucker Jr., MD; and John I. Waldrop, M.D.

Two full-time employees currently work at the Hughston Clinic’s Albany office. The orthopaedic group plans to hire a physical therapist and an X-ray technician to work in theAlbany clinic.

Bucking the economic trend of the times, the Hughston Clinic is in a growth mode. In June 2008, the Clinic opened a $2.5 million, 15,000-square-foot facility in Valdosta. In February 2008, the physicians at the Hughston Clinic acquired a 62-bed hospital in Phenix City, Ala., for $47.7 million and renamed it Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital. In January 2009, the Hughston Clinic opened satellite offices in Thomaston, Ga., and Dothan, Ala.

Orthopaedics in general is a growth industry. Statistics show that as the population ages, and as Baby Boomers get older, the number of people needing orthopaedic care will continue to grow.