Elected officials and business leaders had a peek inside the hospital under construction in Columbia County.
The facility is at exit 190 off Interstate 20. Officials with Wellstar MCG Health organized a Friday morning walk of the 85% completed building on Gateway Boulevard, near the Gateway to Grovetown.
“It’s amazing that I’m standing here at this moment in Columbia County’s history,” said David Jameson, interim President and CEO of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. “It feels good. If I’m excited, every citizen in Columbia County should be just overwhelmed with excitement.”
Jameson said the new hospital will also be an asset in the county’s toolbox to attract new businesses.
“The hospital itself will be an economic engine, and people, businesses, physicians, and health care. They will want to be as close to this as they possibly can, so that’ll help from the quality of life side,” he told ABD. “This is one of those checklist items that companies would be looking for. Where’s the health care? How close is it? How good is it?”
Columbia County Commission Chairman Doug Duncan said a full-service hospital has long been needed for this region of the C.S.R.A.
“It’s strategically located. It’s going to serve the whole region,” he explained. “We need more beds. Doctors Hospital, Piedmont Hospital can be full. So, the more beds we can provide, the more medical services we can provide, especially with state-of-the-art facilities.”
Among those who have championed the construction of the hospital is state Representative Mark Newton (R-District 127). Newton is also a physician with 25 years of experience, particularly in emergency medicine. He said Wellstar Columbia County Hospital addresses a growing shortage in hospital care, especially in the western area of the C.S.R.A.
“We continue to have regular, steady growth in the greater Augusta area, including the metropolitan area, so certainly, getting care located where people need it, and especially when you get a critical mass like this 100-bed hospital that’s expandable as well,” he said. “The ability to have emergency services, surgical services, catheterizations, all the state-of-the-art pharmacy abilities that are there.”
Nelson So, Chief Operating Officer of Wellstar (pictured with a hard hat), said the six-floor hospital will have an emergency department, radiology, and surgical suites among its operations. There will be 100 adaptable beds that can be configured for whatever is needed for patient care.
“As far as the timeline goes, we are on target for construction to be completed by the end of April, and then we will open the facility at the end of August,” he said. “As far as staffing goes, this facility is going to bring over 1,200 jobs to the C.S.R.A., and we’re have started hiring right now for leaders. In the coming months, you’ll see we will start opening jobs for all of our staff-level positions.”
The facility is the culmination of a years-long legal battle pitting three of Augusta’s major hospitals against each other.
In 2014, Wellstar MCG Health, then known as Georgia Regents Medical Center (GRMC), submitted a Certificate of Need (CON) to the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH). University Hospital, now Piedmont Augusta, and Doctors Hospital also filed CONs asking to build a hospital.
When the proposal from GRMC was selected, University and Doctors appealed the decision, triggering a lengthy court battle. University dropped its appeal, but Doctors Hospital continued. It was in 2021 that the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear the case, effectively upholding DCH’s initial ruling.
Duncan said the outcome was worth the legal fight.
“Well, would have liked to have had it 10 years ago, but the good news is it’s strategically located. It’s going to serve the whole region,” he said.
In addition to the hospital, an office building to provide medical office space is also under construction at the site.
