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Piedmont Hospital to expand
FOX 5 is learning more about the hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to expand Piedmont Hospital in Stockbridge, Georgia.
HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - Piedmont Henry Hospital will break ground soon on a five-story tower that will add 96 inpatient beds, bringing the total number to 355.
"This hospital has just grown exponentially over the last five or six years. We are at a point now that we really need those extra beds to continue to serve this community. Not just Henry County, but the surrounding counties as well. We see a lot of patients from surrounding counties," said David Kent, the CEO of Piedmont Henry.
The new construction will also add three additional operating rooms for a total of 17. The hospital expects the $215 million dollar expansion to improve patient care by decreasing wait times for surgeries as well as wait times in the emergency department, which is one of the busiest in the Piedmont system.
The recent closing of Atlanta Medical Center is also factor.
"Certainly, we have seen an influx of volume, particularly trauma volume, but also general volume as well, as a result of the recent closures in the area," Kent said.
Piedmont Henry Hospital
Officials at Piedmont Henry say it is often at capacity. The hospital was recently designated a level three trauma center, which makes it the only trauma care facility between Atlanta and Macon.
With the continued population growth of Henry Count,y as well as areas south of metro Atlanta, officials at Piedmont Henry say the expansion will add medical jobs and could further enhance economic development in this part of the region.