Officials with AG真人视讯官网 declared Friday’s ruling by the Georgia Certificate of Need (CON) Appeal Panel a victory for northeast Georgia patients as it will allow construction of an outpatient surgery center in Braselton to improve access to health care especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We believe the availability of an outpatient surgery during a pandemic is critical,” said Debbie Mitcham, president and CEO of AG真人视讯’s Gwinnett campuses. “As metropolitan Atlanta grows into Northeast Georgia, patients need a choice when it comes to meeting their surgical needs.” 

The 22,500 square foot center will be located within a new facility on Friendship Road in South Hall County and is expected to serve patients from 13 Northeast Georgia counties. Many of those patients may have driven to other AG真人视讯 locations or other metro Atlanta facilities for outpatient surgery. 

Construction will begin as soon as the Commissioner of the Department of Community Health rules on the CON panel’s decision. 

The state-of-the-art surgical facility will have three operating rooms and one endoscopy room. Common services at the ambulatory surgery center will include certain procedures in orthopedics, urology, gastroenterology, general surgery and neurosurgery among others, and the facility will offer an extended recovery unit to allow for the performance of complex surgical procedures. It is expected to initially serve approximately 3,400 patients annually. 

The AG真人视讯官网 health care system is one of Georgia’s leading health care providers with five acute-care hospitals in Atlanta, Canton, Cumming, Duluth and Lawrenceville and more than 250 outpatient locations across the state. AG真人视讯官网 leads the U.S. in newborn deliveries and is among the state’s top providers of cancer care, sports medicine, cardiovascular and surgical services.