Latest news with #Wellstar
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] '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. RELATED STORY: Wellstar announces what they're going to do with the old Atlanta Medical Center '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. TRENDING STORIES: Tornado touches down in Henry County, 18-year-old critically injured 'Life doesn't feel real:' Family mourns GA 9-year-old found shot in car Report of person with box cutters draws large police response to Lavista Road, DeKalb police say 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. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Business Journals
20-05-2025
- Health
- Business Journals
Inspiration and empowerment: Key highlights from Atlanta's Women's Health Summit
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, business and community leaders came together to celebrate Women's Health Month at the inaugural Atlanta Business Chronicle Women's Health Summit, presented by Wellstar and hosted by 11Alive anchor Cheryl Preheim. The event featured two insightful panel discussions and an inspiring keynote by health and wellness expert, bestselling author and Peloton instructor Emma Lovewell. Designed to inspire, connect and empower women in the workplace, the summit offered a dynamic platform for dialogue and shared learning. The program's first panel focused on women's workplace wellness and featured Wellstar's women's service line chief Dr. Paula Greaves, Spanx's chief people officer Kali Wilson Beyah and Elektra Health CEO Jannine Versi. The panel was moderated by Thompson Hine labor and employment partner Glianny Fagundo. Attendees learned about cutting edge benefits being offered by employers like Spanx, innovations in telehealth and access to care and a look at a woman's health journey as a continuous 'ribbon' across her life. Panelists also addressed bringing transitions like menopause to the forefront of conversations and encouraged employers to consider health benefits that address this normal part of aging. A second panel focused on Georgia's standing among the worst states in the nation for maternal mortality and steps that community and business leaders can take to work together to solve this problem. Georgia Department of Community Health chief medical officer Dr. Dean Burke was joined by Center for Black Women's Wellness CEO Jemea Dorsey and Augusta State University professor of obstetrics and gynecology Dr. Chadburn Ray for this discussion, which our readers can learn more about in a follow-up summary publishing in Atlanta Business Chronicle on June 27. The program culminated in a keynote speech from Lovewell, who discussed her own personal physical and mental health journeys, how wellness is a strategy, bringing your A game to self-care as we do for those we love and key takeaways from her new book, 'Live Learn Love Well: Lessons from a Life of Progress not Perfection' that we can all implement in our personal lives and businesses. From puberty to preventative screenings and partnership during pregnancy, menopause and beyond, Wellstar's world-class team of women's health clinicians offers compassionate and comprehensive care for every aspect of your life. To learn more, visit
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Crews begin demolition of former Atlanta Medical Center site
The Brief Demolition has begun at the site of what was once Atlanta Medical Center to make way for a new mixed-use development in Old Fourth Ward. Wellstar announced the closure of the center, which was one of the only Level 1 trauma centers in the region, in 2022, citing financial troubles. The new site will include affordable housing, residential properties, community and public green space, and retail space. ATLANTA - Crews have started clearing the site of what was once the old Atlanta Medical Center campus to make way for a new mixed-use neighborhood where residents can live, work, and shop. More than two years after its closure, demolition is now underway at the Old Fourth Ward site. The backstory Atlanta Medical Center, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in the region, closed on Nov. 1, 2022, due to financial troubles, according to Wellstar. They also closed Atlanta Medical Center South, on the outskirts of the city, a few months before. Wellstar obtained the 460-bed facility in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in 2016. The hospital, which originally opened more than a century ago, served area residents who were mostly poor and Black. Wellstar also closed or relocated more than a dozen other facilities affiliated with the medical center. The closures had a direct impact on the local residents, hospital employees and remaining hospitals and staff. ' The decision to close the hospital was initially widely criticized by Atlanta politicians, with Mayor Andre Dickens saying the choice left an "open wound in the heart of this community." In response, Gov. Brian Kemp boosted funding for Grady Memorial Hospital, and they added additional inpatient beds and hired former surgeons from AMC, primary care physicians and supporting staff to handle the influx of new patients. Initially, the City of Atlanta placed a series of zoning moratoriums on the property while it evaluated redevelopment options. Wellstar says a land-use plan was unanimously approved by the Atlanta City Council with the support of Mayor Andre Dickens. What we know Earlier this year, Wellstar announced that the Ferma Corporation, an engineering firm out of California, would oversee the next phase of development of the site. According to Wellstar's announcement of the plan, the 22-acre site will include affordable housing, residential properties, community and public green space, neighborhood-level retail, new street access, commercial uses, and health and well-being resources. What's next The demolition is expected to last through most of the year. There's no word just yet on when the new site will reopen. The Source Information for this story was taken from a report by FOX 5's Brooke Zauner and previous FOX 5 articles.
Axios
06-02-2025
- Business
- Axios
Calls grow to save hospital building as Atlanta Medical Center faces redevelopment
Plans to redevelop the former Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center will soon take a step toward reality, but a historic preservation organization is calling for the hospital's history to be incorporated into future rebuilding plans. Why it matters: Wellstar's surprise closure of the 500-bed hospital in 2022 left Grady Memorial Hospital as the only Level I trauma center in metro Atlanta that can treat gunshot wounds and traumatic brain injuries. The vacant site owned by Wellstar suddenly became a lucrative opportunity for developers looking to cash in on its prime location in the booming Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Driving the news: Wellstar and The Integral Group, its redevelopment partner, last month named California-based Ferma Corporation the contractor to demolish parts of the structure deemed "unsafe and unstable," such as the circular parking structure on the north side of the site, Wellstar said in a press release. Ferma said in a press release that demolition will begin in March, and that it's expected to be completed later this year. Catch up quick: In the weeks after the hospital announced its closure in 2022, the city of Atlanta imposed a moratorium on redevelopment of the 25-acre site. City Council members this past September approved a land use plan that outlines what it envisions for the site. In October, Wellstar released a redevelopment plan that includes commercial uses, green space, affordable housing and other residential components. What they're saying: Richard White, senior vice president at The Integral Group, the chief developer of the campus, told Axios in a statement that the company is doing a comprehensive "structure-by-structure assessment" of the site. He also said the company is "committed to honoring the former Atlanta Medical Center campus' rich history" and will work with the community to celebrate its legacy. "Our plan will actively incorporate community assets to ensure this history remains a meaningful part of the redevelopment," he said, adding those details will be shared later this year. Yes, but: For David Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, that assessment should include a review of what parts of the facility can be saved from the wrecking ball. The building, he said, has great adaptive reuse potential and can give people who were born there a "sense of recognition and to let them know that their experience matters." Flashback: The Old Fourth Ward site was originally home to a dormitory, which was built in 1921, for nurses who worked at the original Georgia Baptist Hospital on Luckie Street, according to Chris Jackson of the historic preservation consulting firm Verity Works. Georgia Baptist Hospital, a privately-owned institution, needed more space and couldn't raise money in time to expand, so the dormitory was converted into a hospital. The complex underwent large expansions in the 1950s, and the hospital was upgraded throughout the rest of the 20th and 21st centuries. Its name was changed to Atlanta Medical Center when the Georgia Baptist Convention sold it to Tenet in 1997, and it was sold to Wellstar in 2016. What's next: Once demolition is complete, public infrastructure design, financing and construction will begin on the main site.
