WellStar unveils new hospital in Georgia

WellStar Health System, a US-based not-for-profit health system, has opened a new hospital in Hiram, Georgia.
The new eight-floor, 295,000ft² WellStar Paulding Hospital has 56 beds, with the ability to expand to 112 beds.
The facility houses 40 emergency exam and paediatric emergency exam rooms, four surgical suites, decentralised nursing stations, private inpatient rooms, administrative offices and a café.
According to WellStar, the new hospital and adjoining medical office building will bring 500 new jobs to the area.
Additionally, the hospital will provide new services such as a dedicated paediatric emergency department and cardiac catheterisation centre.
WellStar said that it focused on three elements when designing the new space: safety, energy and family.
New safety features include UV air handlers and a water re-disinfectant system, which ensures that WellStar Paulding Hospital stays on the forefront of infection prevention.
During construction, WellStar Paulding Hospital incorporated innovative green technology and building practices.
WellStar Paulding Hospital is the first hospital in Georgia to use a geothermal heat pump system to heat and cool the building.
The hospital features an eight-storey atrium, connecting the hospital with a new four-storey medical office building and the existing seven-year-old medical office building to form the Paulding Outpatient Pavilion.
The hospital also features a loop road, which allows easy visible access to all three main entry points while minimising traffic in parking areas.
All floor transitions are carefully detailed to provide level/flush conditions and eliminate trip hazards.
WellStar Health System CEO Reynold Jennings said the hospital was designed with the guiding purpose of being the safest hospital in the world for patients, families, team members, the community and the environment.
"WellStar is committed to serving the people of northwest Georgia and metro Atlanta," Jennings added.
"We are always keeping an eye on innovation and forging new partnerships that will benefit our community and further our vision to deliver world-class healthcare."
In order to ensure the new facility was safe for patients and staff, the hospital's planning team, including nursing and other clinical staff, spent years collaborating on design elements.
For instance, 80% of items nurses commonly use are within six seconds of reach from the bedside, while the other 20% is centrally located on each floor.
Additionally, the WellStar Paulding Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which is adjacent to the current hospital, will expand to use much of the existing hospital, transitioning many of the rooms from semi-private to private.
WellStar includes WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (anchored by WellStar Kennestone Hospital) and WellStar Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill hospitals; the WellStar Medical Group; urgent care centres; Acworth Health Park; Health Place; homecare; hospice; Atherton Place; Paulding Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; and the WellStar Foundation.