Addresses critical need for more hospital beds to serve Cobb, Paulding, Cherokee, and Bartow counties.

MARIETTA, Ga., (June 23, 2025) – Wellstar Health System has filed its Certificate of Need
(CON) application to build a 230-bed medical center that will address a critical need for hospital
beds and emergency services in Acworth and nearby counties. The proposed Wellstar
Kennestone Regional Medical Center at Acworth would be conveniently located across from
Wellstar’s busiest health park and would significantly reduce travel time for patients requiring
emergency care.

Wellstar today shared new details on the proposed hospital, which would be an eight-story,
675,000-square-foot facility with 70 emergency department bays and 8 operating rooms.
Wellstar’s filing included extensive information on the critical need for a new hospital in the area,
and why Wellstar is uniquely able to provide that care.
The community response since the proposed hospital was first announced last month has been
highly positive, with dozens of business and community leaders throughout Cobb, Paulding,
Cherokee, and Bartow counties expressing their support through letters. Wellstar will partner
with community members throughout the application and development process and engage a
community advisory council.

“Caring for the communities we serve is always our top priority when we look for opportunities to
grow,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “Over the past
few years, we have been able to increase access to healthcare across Georgia and into our
rural communities by partnering with local leaders, businesses and organizations to identify and
meet the rapidly expanding needs of our patients and their families.”
If approved, the proposed Acworth hospital would provide several benefits for the health and
wellbeing of the region:

• Easier access to emergency care. The proposed $1 billion hospital’s primary service area
has more than 340,000 residents today and is expected to grow to 365,000 by 2030. The
area’s population over 65 is projected to grow even more rapidly, which is significant
because the need for inpatient and emergency services increases with age.
• Expanded access to care for patients regardless of their ability to pay. The proposed
hospital, like all Wellstar facilities, would care for all who need help regardless of their ability
to pay. It is estimated that 50% of patients served by the hospital would use Medicare,
Medicaid, or lack insurance. The Wellstar system as a whole provides more than $1 billion
annually in charity care and other community benefits.
• Enhanced healthcare throughout the region. The proposed hospital would relieve
pressure on Kennestone Regional Medical Center, which currently has an occupancy rate of
98.5%. It would improve Kennestone’s capacity to treat the most critical patients and accept
transfers with fewer delays by allowing less serious patients to be cared for at Acworth.
• Jobs and economic development. The proposed hospital would create more than 1,500
healthcare and related jobs with competitive wages that would help bolster the economy in
surrounding areas. Wellstar is listed among the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For.
• Provide broader access to Wellstar’s integrated care network. This includes Georgia’s
largest integrated trauma network, urgent care sites, specialists and primary care
physicians, imaging, pharmacy and lab services.

“Wellstar has a proven history of delivering exceptional care with long-term benefits for Georgia
families, and this new hospital will bring greater access to trusted, exceptional, quality care
close to home,” said Sharon Mason, president and CEO, Cobb Chamber of Commerce.
The proposed hospital at Acworth is one of many ways Wellstar is improving access to care for
communities across Georgia. The health system is expanding Wellstar Kennestone with a new
192-bed tower for additional specialty care; expanding Wellstar Paulding with a new 56-bed
tower and parking deck to meet growing community need; adding a new oncology center to
Wellstar Spalding Medical Center to help keep cancer care local; upgrading and expanding
facilities in the Augusta area, including building a new 100-bed hospital and medical office
building in Columbia County; and in affiliation with the Augusta University Medical College of
Georgia providing a Digital Care Network that supports rural hospitals across Georgia.

ABOUT WELLSTAR HEALTH SYSTEM
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it’s only possible thanks
to our 33,000 team members who provide compassionate care for every stage of life.
PeopleCare also means we serve our communities as a non-profit health system, providing
more than $1 billion annually in charity care and other community benefits, and operating the
largest integrated trauma network in the State of Georgia. We embrace innovation and
technology, nurture early-stage companies through our venture firm Catalyst by Wellstar, and
train future generations of caregivers with academic institutions including the Medical College of
Georgia. Wellstar honors every voice, earning Newsweek’s recognition as one of America’s
Greatest Workplaces for Diversity, and one of Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For. To
learn more, visit Wellstar.org.

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Press Release