Kennestone expands with
new emergency department
By Shannon Ballew
sballew@mdjonline.com
Cobb County’s largest hospital
is growing with the community
it serves.
In July 2020, Wellstar Kennestone
Hospital opened a new
emergency department off
Church Street, across the street
from the rest of the campus.
The new four-story addition
nearly doubles the hospital’s
emergency capacity to 220,000
patients a year.
The $126 million emergency
department, at 263,000 square
feet, is one of the largest in the
nation. The emergency department
features an imaging
suite where it has its own CT
machines, MRI, ultrasound
and X-rays, and areas dedicated
to behavioral health and
disaster response.
“As a not-for-profit health
system that provides care for
communities across Georgia,
our priority is the health
and well-being of the people
and communities we serve,”
Candice Saunders, president
and CEO of Wellstar Health
System, said in a statement.
“This historic moment is the
result of an inspiring team
and strong community partnership
centered on bringing
world-class healthcare to every
person, every time. The new
emergency department is an
asset to our system and all of
the people we care for.”
Gov. Brian Kemp joined
Wellstar Health System officials
164 FACTBOOK 2021
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital’s $126 million emergency department will have capacity to serve 220,000 patients each
year. - Special — Wellstar Health System
to open the ER to the community
at a ribbon-cutting
ceremony, where he said it
was a “great asset” here and
for the state.
With two access points for
ambulances and three for
personal vehicles on higher
traffic city roads, it’s easier
than ever to get into the ER
when an emergency arises.
There are separate areas
for children and adults, and
pediatric rooms are designed
to accommodate families. The
second floor is designated for
behavioral health, with 12
beds for specialized behavioral
health and crisis intervention
services.
Wellstar has 11 hospitals,
more than 250 medical
office locations, nine cancer
centers, 55 rehabilitation
centers, three hospice
facilities, one retirement
village, 21 imaging centers,
15 urgent care locations and
five health parks.
HEALTH & FITNESS
FACTBOX
Wellstar Kennestone Hospital ED stats
• 166 beds, including 130 universal beds and 36 transition beds.
• capacity of over 600 patients a day, up to 220,000 patients a year
• 170 parking spaces for patients, 17 parking spaces for ambulances
• 16 pediatric rooms
• one of only three Level II trauma centers in metro Atlanta
• one of four Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Centers in Georgia.
• the only Joint Commission Certified Comprehensive Cardiac Center in
the state and seventh in the nation.
Special features:
• Separate entrances and wings for pediatric and adult patients
• A new, streamlined care initiation intake process
• Private exam rooms instead of curtain dividers, with adjacent
PPE don/doff rooms
• Flexible spaces equipped to treat both high and low acuity cases
• Planned spaces and processes for de-escalation, isolation and
decontamination for patients who present with infectious disease,
behavioral health, or chemical contamination issues
• A second floor dedicated to behavioral health with 12 beds for
specialized behavioral health and crisis intervention services
• Three separate ambulance bays for different levels of patient severity
• 14 isolation rooms, which control air pressure to limit spread of
infectious diseases
• Direct access to the high acuity/trauma care area from the
rooftop helipad via an elevator
• Improved vehicular access for patients and emergency vehicles,
and an on-site underground parking garage for patient drop-off
• Imaging rooms directly adjacent to trauma rooms
• Additional critical care equipment, technology and more
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