The community in and around Braselton will soon see changes to Northeast Georgia Medical Center’s (NGMC) campus, bringing much-needed, expanded access to care for the growing population in north Georgia. Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS) celebrated the coming expansion with a groundbreaking event for hospital staff, physicians and community leaders on Thursday, April 27.

“We began planning for the Braselton campus almost 20 years ago, working with community leaders who shared our vision for what this hospital could become,” said Anthony Williamson, president of NGMC Braselton. “This expansion is not only a reflection of the growth of the Braselton area, but also of our original plan to continue to add comprehensive, much needed health-related services for the community.”

The expansion project began late last year, with the first phase expected to be completed in summer 2025, and the second phase completed in 2026. The total estimated cost of the entire planned expansion is nearly $565 million and includes:

• 235,000 square feet of new clinical space, including two new patient care floors and 150 licensed acute care beds – bringing the hospital’s total licensed bed count to 284.

• Increasing the number of treatment rooms in the Emergency Department from 23 to 46 to care for more people quickly and efficiently.

• Adding more than 200 new parking spaces for patients and visitors.

• Expanding the pharmacy, laboratory, kitchen and other support spaces.

A Certificate of Need has also been awarded by the state to add four operating rooms to expand available surgeries and procedures. Additional expansion also includes the construction of an endovascular operating room for the performance of vascular and cardiac catheterization cases. Areas for care before and after surgery will also be expanded.

“We’ve seen this growth coming for years and have been planning accordingly to be sure we were able to continue caring for this wonderful community,” said Carol Burrell, president & CEO of NGHS. “When the pandemic hit, as challenging as it was, we knew we needed to continue to look up and out and move forward with this expansion. We’re ultimately reinvesting in the overall health of our region – whether that’s through the care we provide, creating new jobs or the ripple effect that high-quality health care can have in a community.”

Learn more about all of NGHS’ Growing the Greater Good projects at nghs.com/growing.