Floyd gets OK to move ahead with new Polk Medical Center

Media release: Georgia's Department of Community Health has issued a
Certificate of Need (CON) authorizing the construction of a replacement
hospital for Polk Medical Center. The 73,000 square foot facility will be
located along US 278, east of the intersection of US 278 and Kelly Road in
Cedartown. The Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority cited the age and
design of the present facility in requesting the CON.

"Polk Medical Center was originally built in 1944 and has only had two
modifications in almost 70 years," said Kim Scoggins, Polk Medical Center
administrator. "The west wing was added in the 80s and our emergency
department was built in the 90s. Aside from those two modifications, the
facility is essentially unchanged."

In addition to the age of the buildings, DCH also pointed to a number of
deficiencies with the current hospital in outlining the need for the new
construction. These include the number of semi-private rooms, the lack of a
surgical suite, limited waiting areas and no public dining space, among
others.

"The new location will provide so much more than just a new building,"
Scoggins said. "We're going to be able to offer new and expanded services
for our patients that, until now, have been limited or unavailable."
With the Certificate of Need in place, the design phase of construction can
move forward, paving the way for construction to begin later this year.

"We are in the process of completing architectural drawings," said Dan
Sweitzer, Vice President of Market Development for Floyd Medical Center.
"Once those are complete we will send out bid packages with the hope of
breaking ground this summer. We anticipate the completion of construction
and occupancy to take place in the fall of 2014, ahead of the schedule we
proposed when we entered into the lea
se agreement with the Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority."

Scoggins sees the new facility as the next step in a process of care that
originated at Polk Medical Center over seven decades ago.

"Our goal has always been to provide excellent care for the people of Polk
County and the surrounding area," she said. "This new facility will only
enhance that commitment to service and it will be something everyone in our
community can be proud of."