Wellstar MCG Health has officially commenced the construction of its new hospital, Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center, in the US state of Georgia. 

The beginning of construction was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony held at the hospital site on Gateway Boulevard in Grovetown, a city in Columbia County. 

According to The Augusta Chronicle, the site work and vertical construction of the hospital have been in progress for several months despite the official ceremony taking place on 1 April.  

Upon completion, the Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center will offer various healthcare services. 

It will cover approximately 250,000ft² of area, which is an area equivalent to around four football fields.  

The facility’s emergency department will provide round-the-clock care for traumatic injuries at a Level II trauma centre. 

The report noted that currently, the nearest Level II to Augusta is located at Piedmont Athens Regional. 

In addition to emergency services, the hospital will feature a comprehensive surgical platform, including operating rooms, catheterisation laboratories, interventional radiology, and endoscopy facilities.  

Adjacent to the hospital, a 90,000ft² office building is set to house specialists focusing on women’s health and other medical fields.  

The Augusta Chronicle quoted Wellstar MCG Health senior vice-president and hospital president Ralph Turner as saying: “As medical practitioners, we understand that someone’s ability to access health care directly impacts their well-being, but there’s so much more to it. It’s how we deliver care.”  

According to Turner, the opening of this centre will create a 'patient-focused medical office building' for the residents of Columbia County and other neighbouring communities. 

The design of the hospital’s 100 patient rooms is expected to be “acuity-adaptable”, which will allow for more efficient care delivery within the room itself, thereby reducing the need to move patients around the hospital.  

The construction work is now planned to be completed by early 2026, WJBF.com report added.