Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Lumpkin opened its doors for patients for the first time early Monday and it wasn’t long before the first patient arrived.
The first patient arrived in the emergency department at 7:18 a.m. Heather Hughes, of Dahlonega, was treated by emergency medicine physician Kristin Halligan for an ear complaint. Hughes was released around 7:40 a.m.
“I’m so proud to start this new chapter for Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS),” said Kevin Matson, vice president of regional hospitals for NGHS. “Everything has gone smoothly today, all because so many people have been planning for this for years. Now, I’m looking forward to our first surgery scheduled for Thursday.”
NGHS moved NGMC Lumpkin from the old Chestatee Regional Hospital building on Mountain Drive to its new home along Georgia 400, just south of Georgia 60. The single-story, 66,000-square-foot building is located at 495 Georgia 400. Services include 24/7 emergency care, advanced surgery, inpatient care and on-site imaging, lab and pharmacy support.
Surgeons with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group will provide orthopedic surgery at NGMC Lumpkin starting this week. In the following months, the types of surgery offered will expand to include gynecologic and general surgery as well.
After being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, NGMC Lumpkin was built on 53 acres, which includes space for future expansion.
“We couldn’t be more excited to have this hospital complete,” said Carol Burrell, president and CEO of NGHS. “We have dreamed of a brand-new hospital here to serve this beautiful community for so long, and I hope people will agree it was worth the wait.”
The NGMC Lumpkin campus backs up to the Chestatee River, and that tie to nature has been incorporated inside the hospital, thanks to the work of three local artists: Lily Payne, an open impressionism landscape artist based in Dahlonega; Deb Nadelhoffer, a landscape artist from Dawsonville; and Anna Elrod, a potter from Dahlonega. Their art was selected to be featured near the hospital’s main entrance.