After months of delay, CHI Memorial now has the certificate of need (CON) to build a new hospital in Ringgold.
The Georgia Department of Community Health approved the CON application in April 2022, but an appeal resulted in the suspension of the CON and delayed the project from advancing. That appeal was withdrawn earlier this month allowing the original approval process to be completed.
“This is wonderful news for the people of Northwest Georgia! We can now work on finalizing the plans necessary to begin construction on this long-awaited hospital”, said Andrew McGill, CHI Memorial chief strategist.
“CHI Memorial has been on the ground with a variety of services and clinics in partnership with the people of Northwest Georgia for nearly 30 years, and this is the next step to ensure the residents have convenient access to hospital care close to home.”
CHI Memorial acquired the license to operate the current hospital in Fort Oglethorpe, in December 2017. At that time, hospital leadership committed to build a new hospital facility better designed and capable of accommodating the equipment and technology standards of today. CHI Memorial was required to file a CON because the new hospital campus is more than three and a half miles from the current location.
With the CON now in hand, CHI Memorial can restart the work that was halted in April to complete the project plans and ultimately begin construction on the new facility. This work will determine the definitive timeline for the project, including the opening anticipated for sometime in 2025.
The new hospital in Ringgold will feature 64 inpatient beds including an intensive care unit (ICU), as well as a full service emergency department, operating rooms, comprehensive imaging services and non-invasive cardiac imaging. The new building will connect to the current CHI Memorial Parkway building creating a single campus geared toward establishing a central location for inpatient and outpatient services.
After acquiring the license for hospital operations in December 2017, CHI Memorial opened Rees Skillern Cancer Institute for radiation treatment, a full-service imaging center, a MaryEllen Locher Breast Center, and clinics at CHI Memorial Parkway. In 2021, CHI Memorial began providing EMS service to Dade and Walker Counties. CHI Memorial also has primary care clinics in Catoosa, Dade, and Walker Counties, as well as an urgent care clinic in Walker County. In total, CHI Memorial has more than 70 physicians and advanced practice clinicians serving the Northwest Georgia community, including almost two dozen adult primary care providers.