Wellstar proposes new hospital in Acworth
Wellstar is proposing that a new new 230-bed hospital be built in Acworth, citing the growing need in the northern part of Cobb County.
The healthcare company said Thursday it had filed a letter of intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health, the first step in the process to get a certificate of need for a new hospital.
The new facility would be located on Cobb Parkway across from the Wellstar Acworth Health Park.
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'Wellstar is improving access to care, and this new hospital is the latest in a series of projects that do just that,' said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System.
Wellstar said in a statement it is expected to file a detailed certificate of need on or before June 23, which would include architectural rendering and how the hospital would serve the community's health needs.
'The area is growing so much that even when our new tower at Wellstar Kennestone opens next year, the region will need more hospital beds,' Saunders said. 'A new hospital in Acworth would fill a crucial need for the region's medical care.'
Cobb County's estimated population is 787,538 as of July 1, 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau says. The population was 766,149 in the 2020 census and 688,078 in the 2010 census.
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'Access to healthcare has been expanding throughout Cobb County, but we still have an unmet need for hospital beds in the northern portion of our county,' said Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners. 'Wellstar is deeply committed to our region, and we're grateful that they recognized this need and are stepping forward with a solution.'
Acworth Mayor Tommy Allegood said the city's population has exploded, growing 'fivefold in ten years.'
'A hospital would be extremely beneficial to our community, and we appreciate Wellstar's willingness to meet our need,' he said.
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Wellstar said it has more than $1.4 billion in major projects in the works across the state, including expanding facilities at Wellstar Kennestone, Wellstar Paulding and Wellstar Spalding.
The medical center growth outside the perimeter comes after the company closed the Atlanta Medical Center in 2022.
That 22-acre campus has sat vacant since the closure and will be redeveloped, Wellstar officials said last year.
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