Athens, Ga. (October 5, 2018) – The Georgia Department of Community Health has granted Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center a Certificate of Need (CON) for a $171 million renovation and construction project, which will provide updated technology and amenities to patients in the community.
“We are thrilled to receive CON approval and look forward to seeing this project progress,” said Charles Peck, M.D., president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Piedmont Athens Regional. “As our community grows, we have to adapt and provide adequate amenities to our patients. This project we’re embarking on is going to replace old patient areas in our hospital, with state-of-the-art, newly-renovated space that will better serve our patients and community.”
The proposed construction project will include the renovation of approximately 262,436 square feet of existing space and the replacement of approximately 228,691 square feet of space, which includes a new patient tower. The hospital's current capacity of 359 beds will remain the same.
This fall, construction will begin with the addition of a patient unit to an existing hospital tower known as Prince Tower Two, which is located near the corner of Prince and King avenues.
Once this unit is complete, construction will then begin on the new patient tower, which will replace what’s known as the hospital’s 1919 Tower, located off of Talmadge Drive. The 1919 Tower is nearly 100 years old – currently the oldest section of the hospital. The new tower will stand six stories above ground and have a one-story basement.
“Our goal is not only to improve patient access and care, but to also modernize and improve our hospital campus for our patients, visitors and staff, and we’re grateful for the community’s support as we work to meet the needs of our patients,” Dr. Peck said. “At Piedmont, we embrace the future and continually seek better ways to strengthen patient care and services. This project will allow us to live those values.”
Construction is estimated to take approximately four years, with a completion date of fall 2022.