Atrium Health Floyd plans emergency facility in Chattooga County
Atrium Health Floyd is planning to build a freestanding emergency department in Chattooga County to provide quicker access to medical care.
The estimated $18.5 million facility will be located on Ga. 1 next to the Summerville Walmart and will be Floyd’s first freestanding emergency department building, according to a press release. The facility will provide 24/7 medical care, with six treatment rooms, an on-site laboratory and on-site imaging services to include X-ray and CT scanners.
“Access to necessary medical care in rural areas is an important state policy goal for Georgia, and this is an issue we have been in communication with the Governor’s office about,” said President and CEO Kurt Stuenkel Floyd. “Atrium Health Floyd will fulfill an unmet need for the Chattooga County area
Stuenkel said travel times for Chattooga County residents to reach the Atrium Floyd Health emergency room in Rome range from approximately 28 minutes to nearly 40 minutes.
The new facility will change that to a range of from roughly 5 minutes to just over 15 minutes.
Floyd officials filed a letter of intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health on Nov. 22. A Certificate of Need will be filed in December.
State law requires health care organizations to obtain a CON before expanding some services or building new facilities. If approved, construction could begin in early to mid 2022.
“We believe that this application has tremendous merit and will provide dramatic improvement in access and outcomes for patients who are in emergency medical situations,” Stuenkel said. “We are confident that approval is warranted and justified.”
There are about 24,000 visits a year to the Floyd Urgent Care center in Chattooga County, Stuenkel said. The hospital system also provides hospice and bereavement care, nonemergency transport and mobile mammography to residents in the area.
Floyd also has relationships with both Chattooga County schools and Trion schools to provide athletic trainers and other programs.