Tuesday marked the start of construction for a new healthcare destination that will expand local access to primary care and other services, while also helping develop the physician leaders of tomorrow.

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) held a groundbreaking ceremony for Medical Park 2, a 72,000 square foot, three-story medical office building that will open along Jesse Jewell Parkway in July 2020. Medical Park 2 will be home to several Northeast Georgia Physicians Group (NGPG) practices, including some that will incorporate resident physicians, and a new retail pharmacy.

"Our county and region have experienced a wonderful amount of growth in recent years, but we know that has made it difficult to get appointments with providers in some specialties," says Daniel Tuffy, chief administrative officer and president of NGPG. "Medical Park 2 will fill a great need by expanding access to those vital specialties and providing space for more patients to receive care without leaving the area."

Medical Park 2 will include family medicine and internal medicine practices to greatly increase the number of primary care providers in Hall County. Both practices will also offer something new to the community - the opportunity to interact with resident physicians. Residents are licensed doctors who are continuing their medical training in a specific specialty, and patients will find several benefits of having residents involved in their care.

"I was fortunate to have mentors in medical school and residency who nurtured and encouraged my teaching endeavors, and I have seen the many advantages of receiving care in a practice staffed by both residents and supervising physicians," says John Delzell, MD, vice president of Medical Education at NGMC. "When practices involve residents, more minds are guiding your care - which also translates to more time spent focusing on your needs and the ability to get appointments faster than usual."

The family medicine and internal medicine practices will be joined by a well-established general surgery practice, NGPG Surgical Associates, which will move from its current location on the Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Gainesville campus to a larger suite on the third floor of Medical Park 2. The building will also include an NGPG Pulmonology practice - which is a new specialty the group will offer to help fill a shortage in the market.

NGHS expects more than 400 patients will eventually visit Medical Park 2 each day - totaling a staggering 96,000 patients each year.  

"This building is a perfect example of how we're responding to the health needs in our community and enhancing the services we provide," says Carol Burrell, president and CEO of NGHS. "Medical Park 2 is going to improve the lives of many people - patients and providers included."