Residents To Put WellStar's Plans in Holly Springs Under Microscope

Homeowners' associations along the Sixes Road corridor will hold a meeting for residents to learn more about WellStar's plans to possibly build a facility in Holly Springs.

While WellStar Health System has decided not to proceed with obtaining a green light from the state for a free-standing emergency department in Holly Springs, that isn't stopping residents from organizing to inform their neighbors about the company's plans. A meeting has been set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Liberty Elementary School for residents who live in BridgeMill and along Sixes Road to learn about what WellStar would like to do with roughly 62 acres on the southwest corner of Sixes Road and I-575. Jay Patouillet, president of the BridgeMill Community Association, said the homeowners association of BridgeMill and The Falls of Cherokee decided to organize a meeting to inform residents about WellStar's plans due to the proximity of the …

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WellStar Puts Brakes on Emergency Department in Holly Springs

The company is holding off on a proposal to build a stand alone emergency department in the city limits.

WellStar Health System has put off plans to expand into Holly Springs. The company is not pursuing a proposal to build a free-standing emergency department on 62 acres on the southwest corner of Sixes Road and I-575. WellStar last month filed a letter of intent with Georgia Department of Community Health to build the proposed $21 million off-site emergency center, but did not proceed with filing a Certificate of Need review. The CON has to be filed 30 days after a letter of intent is filed with the department.  WellStar Spokesperson Keith Bowermaster said there's "no precedent" in Georgia for a free-standing emergency department to get the CON stamp of approval.  "We are very interested in this clinical model, but [we] elected to not file …

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WellStar Wants To Build Emergency Facility in Holly Springs

The Marietta-based health care system is eyeing the possibility of opening an off-site emergency center on Sixes Road near I-575.

WellStar Wants To Build Emergency Facility in Holly Springs

The Marietta-based health care system is eyeing the possibility of opening an off-site emergency center on Sixes Road near I-575.

WellStar Health System continues to explore its options to expand in Cherokee County. The company has filed a letter intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health to build a $21 million off-site emergency center on Sixes Road at Interstate 575. WellStar Spokesperson Keith Bowermaster said the company submitted a letter of intent for a "free standing emergency department" at the location, which is situated on 62 acres on the southwest corner of Sixes Road and I-575.  The initial phase would include a facility between 100,000 to 120,000 square feet. Bowermaster said noted there's no set timetable for construction.  "WellStar is committed to providing quality health care to the residents of Cherokee County," he said in a statement. "…

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WellStar Halts Plans For New Towne Lake Facility

The company had submitted a letter of intent to build an outpatient surgery center in Towne Lake.

WellStar Health System has abruptly stopped plans to move forward with an outpatient surgery center in Towne Lake. The Marietta-based company has decided not to file a Certificate of Need with the Georgia Department of Community Health "at this time," said WellStar Spokesperson Keith Bowermaster. "We will continue to evaluate the market and decide whether to refile a Letter of Intent in the future," he added in a prepared statement. WellStar filed the letter of intent last month to build a proposed $23 million facility at 145 North Parkway near Woodstock. The letter, according to state regulations, have to be filed 30 days before a Certificate of Need review can be filed.  The state department's Certificate of Need Program evaluates …

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WellStar Files For Proposed Woodstock Outpatient Surgery Center

The health care company last month filed a letter of intent with the Georgia Department of Community Health.

WellStar Health System has filed a letter of intent to build a hospital-based outpatient surgery center in Towne Lake. The proposal, according to documents, would build a $23 million facility at 145 North Medical Parkway, which is located off Towne Lake Parkway. The letter of intent is filed 30 days before a Certificate of Need review can be file by the company, said Georgia Department of Community Health spokesperson Pamela Keene. The state department's Certificate of Need Program evaluates proposals for new health care facilities or services.  WellStar spokesperson Sharon Woods said the letter was filed on Oct. 25. The company remains mum on the details of the project. “We don’t comment specifically on the project per WellStar policy …

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WellStar Drops Opposition to Northside

The president and CEO says as much in a full page newspaper ad.

In a full page ad that will appear in today's Cherokee Ledger-News, WellStar Health System CEO Reynold Jennings said the Marietta health care provider has dropped all opposition to Northside Hospital-Cherokee's proposed replacement facility. "Although Northside's application and public statements were unclear, we will accept Northside's recent statement that it will not offer any new or expanded clinical services at its new hospital facility," he wrote. Jennings' open letter to Cherokee County residents comes just one month after a WellStar spokesman said officials at the health system were exploring their options after the Georgia Department of Community Health rejected the health system's latest challenge to Northside Hospital-Cherokee's…

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WellStar Could File Lawsuit

WellStar's latest effort to challenge Northside Hospital-Cherokee's relocation efforts may not be its last.

The spokesman for WellStar Health System said the Marietta health care provider is exploring its options after its latest effort to challenge Northside Hospital-Cherokee's relocation efforts failed on Friday. "WellStar Health System is disappointed in the Department of Community Health’s (DCH) decision and we are evaluating our options on whether to appeal," Keith Bowermaster said in a statement. Asked what those options were, Bowermaster said, "WellStar could file a lawsuit in either Cobb or Fulton County Superior Court." Since last year, WellStar Health System officials have contended that Northside Hospital-Cherokee's relocation efforts should go through the same state review process of other hospitals, known as the Certificate of Need …

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WellStar Not Backing Down

In yet another challenge, WellStar Health System said "the citizens of Cherokee County are entitled to obtain factual information necessary to assess" Northside Hospital-Cherokee’s plans for a replacement hospital in Canton.

Twice, state officials have poked holes in WellStar Health System's assertion that Northside Hospital-Cherokee's relocation efforts should go through the same state review process of other hospitals. But only weeks after a state-appointed hearing officer ruled that WellStar's most recent challenge lacked "legitimate basis," the Marietta-based healthcare provider requested an agency review hearing with the Georgia Department of Community Health. “WellStar, other healthcare providers and the citizens of Cherokee County are entitled to obtain factual information necessary to assess Northside’s plans,” said Chris Kane, senior vice president of strategic business development for WellStar. “As of now, Northside has offered only undocumented and …

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