BJISG Appears in the Spring 2011 Edition of Mature Living
May 1, 2011 – Southeast Georgia – BJISG appeared in an article in the Spring 2011 Edition of Mature Living in Southeast Georgia. The article called “Innovation in Healing: Orthopedic Surgeon Establishes Unique Facility” by David Tootle tells the story of the talented Dr. Lex Kenerly and calls Bone and Joint Institute (BJI) of South Georgia an “innovative clinical and surgery center [that] offers patients the very best in facilities, technology, and care for their orthopedic problems, all under one roof.” An excerpt of the article can be found here.
Innovation in Healing: Orthopedic Surgeon Establishes Unique Facility
by David Tootle
For many, an American small town or rural area is THE very best place to live and raise a family. South Georgians can explain, at length, the advantages to being close to the earth, breathing clean air, and knowing one’s neighbors as friends.
Unfortunately, many of those same people can relate stories of traveling to distant, larger towns and cities to seek the best in medical attention. In many cases, medical specialists establish their headquarters near large hospitals and their array of resources, and rural Americans must regularly set aside large blocks of time to travel and find excellent health care.
For those needing special care for aching joints and bones, that situation has recently changed in this area. Dr. Lex Kenerly, a Jesup native who has practiced orthopedic surgery in his hometown for 22 years, has opened the Bone and Joint Institute (BJI) of South Georgia. This innovative clinical and surgery center offers patients the very best in facilities, technology, and care for their orthopedic problems, all under one roof.
Dr. Kenerly’s Dream
Young Lex Kenerly always enjoyed working with his hands. Growing up, he did carpentry work in a cabinet shop. He also developed an interest in playing sports. His life’s calling turned out to be a combination of these two interests.
“The two blended together nicely under the umbrella of medicine and orthopedic surgery,” he told us.
Dr. Kenerly, 55, received his BS Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Georgia in 1978. He graduated with his MD from the Medical College of Georgia four years later, then interned at the Medical Center in Columbus, Georgia, for one year. His orthopedic surgery residency was at the Greenville Hospital System in South Carolina, where he worked with the Shriners‘ Hospital for Crippled Children. In 1988, he returned to Jesup to practice.
“My wife Joy and I are both from Jesup,” Dr. Kenerly said. “We’ve been married for 24 years. We have four children, now teenagers. My oldest, John Lex, is a freshman at the University of Alabama. I have two girls, Adeline and Jameson, who are in Wayne County High School, and my youngest son is Asher. He is 14 years old, and he’s an eighth grader at Martha Puckett Middle School. We’re glad to be living here in our hometown.”
Kenerly possesses outstanding credentials within the profession. Boardcertified, he specializes in both surgical and nonsurgical treatments of musculoskeletal conditions. He consistently continues his education and benefits from membership in numerous professional organizations. After two decades of service to his community, he decided to expand opportunities for both himself and his patients with the establishment of the Bone and Joint Institute. It opened on August 23, 2010.
“I recognized the community needed a place that would offer more complete orthopedic care,” he explained. “We could offer patients greater convenience by having things such as MRIs and outpatient surgery in a single location. It would allow my practice to grow as well. We would be able to recruit other orthopedic surgeons, which we’re in the process of doing now.”
He continued, “Having an array of orthopedic services under one roof offers convenience for the patient. Here, there’s control of scheduling. We have the privilege of not having to work around a busy hospital schedule, including the emergencies that may come up, that sort of thing.”
“Also, we offer very specialized care. We don’t do anything here but orthopedics, and we do that extremely well.”
The Bone and Joint Institute of South Georgia features a clinical area for orthopedic examinations and procedures as well as a state-of-the-art surgery center. The 15,000-square foot building is equipped with Open MRI and Digital X-Ray equipment, providing great access and convenience for both first-time patients and those scheduled for surgical procedures.