New hospital coming to Franklin Co., to replace two others

ROYSTON – A new $52 million hospital is coming to Franklin County.

The facility, to be named Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center, will replace two other hospitals in the area: Cobb Memorial Hospital in Royston and Hart County Hospital in Hartwell.

Officials with Ty Cobb Healthcare, Inc. said consolidating to one new hospital makes more economic sense for the rural area during these hard financial times.

"This is going to greatly strengthen the delivery of healthcare in this part of
northeast Georgia," said Chuck Adams, Chief Executive Officer at Ty Cobb Healthcare.

"In today's world, you need two things to support a rural hospital. One is a population of at least 40,000 people. Today, we've got a combined population of approximately 45,000 trying to support two hospitals, and not surprisingly they're both facing economic challenges."

"The second thing you need is specialists, which are always hard to recruit to
rural areas," Adams said. "By putting together this partnership with leading cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, gastroenterologists and others, we've created a critical mass that will greatly enhance both the quality of healthcare and the economic vitality of the communities we serve."

The new hospital will be built on 40 acres of undeveloped land near Lavonia on Clear Creek Road near Interstate 85. The site is being developed by the physician partnership, NGTC Health Properties, which will finance construction of the hospital. Once built, the hospital will be managed and operated by Ty Cobb Healthcare System's new operating company, Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center LLC.

The new hospital is expected to have 56 beds and four operating rooms, along
with a full array of state-of-the-art medical technology and services, including MRI, CT, digital mammography, a sleep lab and rehab services.

Adams said Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center LLC would apply to the state for formal permission to build the new hospital by mid-July. Assuming timely approval by the state, construction should begin by the end of the year and be completed in 2011.

Adams said that plans to use the two vacated hospitals are now being studied
with an eye toward providing other healthcare services in those facilities. He also said he projects that total health system employment will increase despite the fact that the new hospital will have fewer than half the combined number of beds at the two existing hospitals.