NGMC Braselton is state's 1st new hospital in 20 years; open house Sun. afternoon

BRASELTON - Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton, which opens Wednesday, will be the first new hospital in Georgia in 20 years.

Gainesville-based Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) has, for the past ten years, steadily made progress to build and open the new facility.

As the first net-new hospital in Georgia, meaning not a replacement or relocation facility, in almost 20 years, NGMC Braselton will, according to hospital officials, offer a broad range of advanced surgical and medical services, "with a strong emphasis" on outpatient surgery as well as emergency services and specialty care in many areas including cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and neurosciences.

"'Improving the health of our community in all we do' is the mission of Northeast Georgia Health System, and, at every step along the way, we make it a priority to do the right things for the right reasons," said Anthony Williamson, president of NGMC Braselton. "Doctors, nurses, clinical staff and community members all participated in the process of designing our beautiful new hospital and creating a healthcare experience that will be patient and family focused. After all the years of planning, developing and building, we are very pleased to be at this point of being able to begin serving our community."

The campus of the new hospital is already home to a medical office building, Medical Plaza 1, which houses an urgent care center, imaging center, endoscopy suite, outpatient lab and therapy services and more than 20 physician offices.

According to the new hospital's website, the services that will be offered include:

Heart & Vascular services
Orthopedics & Neurosciences
Cancer treatment
Surgery
Emergency services

Beth Downs, Public Relations Manager for the new hospital, has said the hospital will employ more than 800 "full and part time employees when fully staffed."

In addition, she added "physicians who practice at Northeast Georgia Medical Center Gainesville will also be able to practice in Braselton, though not all physicians from Gainesville will travel to Braselton."

In laying out the plans for the new facility over the past ten years, NGMC officials, through focus groups and an online survey, gathered input into the campus design from more than 1,000 people.

OPEN HOUSE

On Sunday, the 100-bed hospital will open its doors for a one-day-only opportunity to tour the new building before it opens and take a peek behind the scenes. The emergency room, patient rooms, operating rooms, imaging suite, catheterization labs and many other areas of the hospital will be open for guests to see the new facilities and learn about the services, technology and equipment in those spaces. In addition, area first responders will have ambulances, fire trucks and a helicopter on-site for a "Touch an Emergency Vehicle Zone;" Café 1400, the hospital's café, will be providing treats for guests; and free tree seedlings will be given to the first 1,000 attendees.

For more information, visit www.nghs.com/braselton or call 770-219-3840.