Stephens County Hospital To Oppose Lavonia Hospital Plans

9/29/2009

Stephens County Hospital will oppose a new hospital planned for Franklin County.

Hospital Administrator Ed Gambrell said the decision was made last week to formally oppose the plans for a new hospital facility in Lavonia.

“We have actually filed an official opposition to the Certificate of Need application filed by Ty Cobb Health Center, so that means that we will be able to present our opposition to the state in about a month from now,” said Gambrell. “The state will consider what we say in their final decision.”

In June, Ty Cobb Healthcare System announced plans to build a 56-bed hospital off of Interstate 85, near Exit 173.

The new hospital, which would be called Ty Cobb Regional Medical Center is set to go up on 40 acres of undeveloped land on Clear Creek Road, near I-85.

The proposed $53 million hospital, along with a separate medical building nearby, would replace the current Hart County Hospital and Ty Cobb Memorial Hospital in Royston.

In July, the Stephens County Hospital Authority hired the law firm of Balch and Bingham to act as a consultant for Stephens County Hospital on the Lavonia plans.

Gambrell said that firm will make Stephens County Hospital’s presentation to the state in the coming weeks, detailing why Stephens County Hospital feels a new hospital in Lavonia would be detrimental to Stephens County Hospital.

Gambrell would not discuss further specifics regarding the opposition at this time.

Back in July, Gambrell said that Stephens County Hospital receives a fair amount of business from Franklin County, as well as the southern part of Stephens County, which would be closer to a hospital in Lavonia.

Officials with Ty Cobb have been moving forward in recent weeks on getting ready for the new hospital and the corresponding medical building.

Plans from Ty Cobb officials called for state approval in November and construction to start soon after that.