Northside Medical Center has joined St. Francis Hospital in Columbus with a five-star rating from the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare program. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

A Columbus woman said the birth of her daughter was a journey, and that’s the name she picked for the first baby born locally in 2018. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

A Suwanee man was arrested and charged by a Dougherty County grand jury on a 17-count indictment for his alleged role in neglecting and exploiting disabled and elderly adults. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

A State Court jury had awarded a Columbus woman $26 million for injuries she suffered after complications from a 2012 neck surgery at the Columbus hospital. It is believed to be the largest verdict awarded in Muscogee County history. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Researchers analyzed survey responses from more than 400 emergency medical personnel in the U.S. and Asia to find out if medical professionals would show up to the site of a nuclear attack and, if they did, whether or not they know the appropriate treatment protocols. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Twenty-one people were arrested in a multi-jurisdictional operation focused on capturing sexual predators in the Columbus area who target children online, authorities said. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Men and women across the United States reported over 2 million cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2016, making it the highest year on record for those three STDs. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Researchers have explored why mentally ill patients had a 30 percent higher cancer fatality rate even though their incidence of cancer was no greater than the general population. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

This week, Gallup-Healthways released its community rankings for exercise in those same 189 cities, with Columbus coming in at No. 85 and showing that a little more than half of local residents, or 53.7 percent, get regular exercise. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

It already handles about 90,000 patient visits each year, with demand only expected to grow. Thus, Columbus Regional Health is moving forward with a major expansion of the John B. Amos Cancer Center. Read the full article: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer