A big transformation is in store for local Piedmont health offices and a partially undeveloped piece of land off Highway 515.
The Atlanta-based health care provider plans to build a new, two-story 56,000 square-foot medical office building in East Ellijay, just off 515 between Howard Simmons Road and Mountain View Drive. An Aldi supermarket is currently under construction near where the facility will be built.
Piedmont will consolidate all its existing Gilmer County medical offices, including the 24/7 freestanding emergency department, into the new facility. Other services planned to be offered there include outpatient advanced imaging, primary care, cardiovascular care, obstetrics and gynecology services and rheumatology.
“Over the years, we have continually made investments in Ellijay to better serve the needs of our communities,” said Piedmont Mountainside Hospital CEO Denise Ray, who oversees Gilmer’s Piedmont facilities and services. “This new facility will not only expand on existing high-quality services but it also will provide access to new services closer to home.”
Piedmont’s local 24/7 stand-alone ER opened in 2017 after the 2016 closure of Gilmer County’s longtime hospital, North Georgia Medical Center.
While a new hospital is not part of Piedmont’s impending relocation and expansion, the new facility will feature a larger ER, which will increase by 2,000 square feet in size. An improved layout will reduce patient wait times with separate areas for critically ill and noncritical “fast-track” patients, according to Piedmont.
The new ER will also continue to provide accessible helicopter transport for the most critical patients, noted Lindsay Gard, Piedmont Mountainside CFO.
“We understand that, with the nearest hospital 20-30 minutes away, the health and well-being of many depends on increased emergency care, as well as more convenient patient-centered specialty care,” said Ray. “Piedmont Mountainside remains committed to the Gilmer County community to ensure 24/7 emergency care is available in conjunction with advanced outpatient imaging services.”
Piedmont leases the current Gilmer County locations used for the ER, doctors’ offices and other medical providers, but the new facility will be company built and owned.
Construction plans for the large-scale project are underway with plans for the facility to open sometime in spring 2025.