Leaders celebrating Columbia County's first hospital Tuesday applauded the patients it would help and the patience it took to build it.
Local and state officials, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, joined hospital executives to cut the ceremonial ribbon for Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center in Grovetown, more than 12 years after Augusta University first asked the state formally for permission to establish the 100-bed facility.
"When looking at the number of people committed to making this happen, it can be best described as a marathon relay race, as numerous people and teams involved passed the baton for those who followed them to complete the task," said
AU President Russell Keen.
Wellstar Health System joined with Augusta University Health System in 2023 to form Wellstar MCG Health. The partnership involving Augusta's Medical College of Georgia is expected to improve patient access to health care not only in Columbia County but the surrounding region.
In the Augusta area, Lincoln, Wilkes, Warren, Taliaferro and Glascock counties are among Georgia's remaining 53 counties without hospitals. But advances in digital health technology and telemedicine can bridge physical distances to focus more clinical expertise on patients, scheduled to open for treatment Aug. 26.
Wellstar Columbia County will "build on our ongoing efforts to connect Georgians with quality health care, no matter their ZIP code," Kemp said.
The new hospital's MCG connection also will open more residency slots for students training to become physicians, as Georgia struggles with its yearslong shortage of doctors.
In three to five years, Wellstar Columbia County also hopes to become a Level II trauma center, a hospital with enhanced resources to quickly diagnose and treat sudden life-threatening injuries.
"The goal was clear: Create a hospital designed around people's needs and experiences. There's nothing more important than that," said Wellstar Health System President and CEO Ketul Patel. "We are here to take care of patients and the people in the community, because the best health care facilities aren't built for a community. They're built with a community."
The community is invited to an open house at the new hospital, 5000 Gateway Blvd. in Grovetown, from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 8. The event will include self-guided hospital tours, face-painting and refreshments.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Gov. Kemp joins ribbon-cutting for Columbia County's first hospital
