‘Extremely exciting’ progress shared on new Columbia County hospital
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Leaders are sharing some significant progress updates on the new Columbia County’s only hospital on Wednesday starting the process back in 2012.
The update came during a meeting of the Columbia County Hospital Authority.
Planned for years and held up for quite some time in litigation, the hospital is finally on track to become a reality after the groundbreaking ceremony back in April.
It was originally planned by Augusta University Health. But when a new partnership put Wellstar in the driver’s seat, the health care provider committed to moving forward with the hospital on Gateway Boulevard near Interstate 20.
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The heat has not stopped workers from hitting major milestones in the project.
Right now, they are 422 days into the project and have 632 days left, and leaders say they have no plans of slowing down anytime soon.
Hammers, drills and saws. That’s the sound of progress in Columbia County.
“We have completed the steel framing for the hospital. We are in the progress of the steel erection for the medical office building. We are about three-quarters of the way through the medical office building. So this is just extremely exciting,” said Jennifer Miller, Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at Wellstar MCG Health.
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It will soon be a 100-bed hospital with a level 2 trauma center and diagnostic imaging.
It’s a process that started back in 2012 and will be the first of its kind in Columbia County, offering services that people in the area or more rural counties would typically have to drive farther for.
“We also have a helipad that is being designed and constructed that will be adjacent to the hospital, which will be a wonderful thing for Columbia County and the residents, especially in close proximity to I-20 for potential traffic accidents, or the lake for both accidents, things of that nature. We will be able to connect with both our level two trauma center in Columbia County and also, of course, our level one trauma center in Richmond County, which also has a helipad and we do have our own helicopter. So Wellstar Air Care will be servicing each of these hospitals " said Miller.
Leaders say they’re hitting all the major milestones on time.
“We’re on track, budget-wise and on track schedule-wise, right now. I think a lot of that is attributable to our incredible team that is out on site, really working together as a team to solve issues and make sure that we’re staying on track,” said Miller.
They are targeting mid-2026 for the end of construction.
The next step after that is to bring in all the medical equipment needed for patients and we will announce the official opening date as construction wraps up.
If you are looking for a job, leaders say they are already working on their clinical workforce and staff planning.
They will have more information coming out soon when they start those onboarding efforts.
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