Wellstar Health System announced in a press release it is filing a Letter of Intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health to build a 230-bed hospital in Acworth.  A Letter of Intent is the first step in obtaining a Certificate of Need to meet the legal requirement to build a new hospital.

The press release states:

The new hospital would be located on Cobb Parkway across from the Wellstar Acworth Health Park.  Wellstar’s long history of service to this community makes it the ideal partner to continue to meet the area’s growing healthcare needs.  The project will be supported by Wellstar Health System resources, including Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center and Wellstar Paulding Medical Center, and numerous primary, urgent, and specialty care locations, which will further enable the project to provide high-quality care in an integrated, coordinated, and efficient manner. 

Wellstar plans to file the Certificate of Need by June 23.

The press release included the following quotes:

“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. “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. A new hospital in Acworth would fill a crucial need for the region’s medical care.”

“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’s population grew fivefold in ten years, and we continue to attract people who want to live and work in our area,” said Tommy Allegood, mayor for the City of Acworth. “The City of Acworth has been expanding our critical infrastructure and creating a place where families will want to stay for generations. A hospital would be extremely beneficial to our community, and we appreciate Wellstar’s willingness to meet our need.”