Wellstar Kennestone Hospital announced that it will open its new emergency department (ED) to patients on July 23, 2020.

According to a press release announcing the opening, the facility will be 263,000 square feet, and will serve up to 600 patients per day, and 220,000 patients per year.

This represents a doubling of the hospital’s trauma and emergency capacity, and Wellstar expects it to be one of the top two busiest EDs in the U.S.

“As a not-for-profit health system that provides care for communities across Georgia, our mission is to enhance the health and well-being of every person we serve by ensuring high quality and compassionate care for every patient, every time,” said Candice Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “This emergency department serves as an extension of that care, delivering vital healthcare for emergency and trauma patients in their most critical time of need, with world-class facilities and the best caregivers you will ever meet.”

The facility will include dedicated isolation and decontamination rooms that can be used for patients who arrive at the ED with an infectious disease, behavioral health, or chemical contamination issue and multiple entrances for different levels of patient severity.

It will also offer a dedicated pediatric ED, with “many industry-leading features and processes, the new ED dramatically enhances access for Georgians to vital healthcare needs and will be a model for best practices in emergency services, both for the region and nationally,” according to the press release.

“The new, state-of-the-art emergency department at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is great example of how Wellstar is investing in our people and technologies to improve the well-being of all Georgians,” said Mary Chatman, executive vice president, Wellstar Health System, and president of Wellstar Kennestone and Wellstar Windy Hill Hospitals.

About Wellstar Kennestone Hospital

Founded in 1950, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital is a 633-bed hospital, anchoring the regional medical center located in Marietta, Georgia, and is part of the nationally recognized non-profit Wellstar Health System.