New hospital celebrates groundbreaking at Lumpkin site

A day years in the making came one step closer as Lumpkin County saw the first ceremonial signs of progress beginning at the construction site alongside Georgia 400 where a new hospital will eventually sit.
Northeast Georgia Health System hosted the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility last Wednesday. State representative Steve Gooch said that he feels this is a big moment in the history of Lumpkin County.
“There are few turning points in any community and I believe this is one of those turning points,” Gooch said to the crowd at the event. “You can see a community grow in a manageable way and then you see other communities not grow at all. I think without proper healthcare, a community struggles to grow. But with this facility coming here today, I believe it makes the future of Lumpkin County and North Georgia even more bright and it’s because of the decisions that were made….I believe the timing is perfect for this facility.”
As for timing, the hospital was originally in its first planning stages in 2019 after NGHS purchased 57 acres along the 400 Corridor in 2015. After plans were first unveiled in January of 2020 with a targeted opening date of later that year, the hospital endured multiple setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the plan for the hospital, according to officials, is for it to open in April of 2024.
“It’s a day that we longed for for a long time,” Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners Chairman Chris Dockery told The Nugget following the groundbreaking. “When you just reflect back and you look at all the effort, all the planning, all the perseverance that we’ve come through as a community, as {Northeast Georgia Health System], it’s just rewarding to see it all come together and break ground.”
Dockery said this will be a key piece to better economic development and quality of life in Lumpkin County for the future.
“I’ve always said when you look at economic development and you look at the health and the growth in the community, two of the most important things that are often overlooked is your availability of healthcare and also your quality of life,” he said. “This is one big piece I think that will make Lumpkin County and Dahlonega stronger for years to come, a good stable healthcare system that we can count on.”

GEARING UP FOR GROWTH

Gooch talked about the impact the hospital is set to have on Lumpkin County.
“The jobs that it will create will be in the hundreds,” he said. “I think it’s estimated at about 150 jobs initially. There will be millions and millions of dollars of economic development opportunity that will follow.”
That economic opportunity is believed to come through the surrounding businesses that the hospital will bring.
“This is an anchor for this area of growth in our community,” Dockery said. “I think you’re going to see lots of ancillary businesses that pop up that not only support the healthcare profession but support those families that use this facility as well. It’s just a monumental day, not just for Lumpkin County, but for all of north Georgia.”
Dockery’s White County counterpart Travis Turner, who currently serves as the chairman, of its board of commissioners echoed that sentiment.
“We’re excited for this too,” Turner said. “This is a win for the whole region.”
Gooch’s predictions for growth in the region due to the new hospital made the case for prosperous growth for both Lumpkin and it’s neighboring communities.
“I think tomorrow is going to be bright,” he told the crowd. “I think you’re going to see retail developments surround this property. You’re going to see Publix, grocery stores, you’re going to see medical buildings, you’re going to see pharmacies, you may see banks. There will be other retail stores popping in here. There will be development for homes, multi-family, this is just the beginning to the future of Lumpkin County in this 400 Corridor.”
Gooch added that means the growth taking place down south could soon be headed this way.
“I think the Dawson and Lumpkin County development will merge together down the 400 Corridor,” he said. “I think we’re going to see development up Long Branch Road over into Cleveland, we’re already working on widening Long Branch Road to make it a four lane from this intersection right here, all the way into what is known as the Cleveland Bypass or the Appalachian Parkway.”
While this amount of growth could be alarming to some residents, Dockery said that he feels Lumpkin is well prepared.
“I think our county’s done an excellent job preparing for that growth with our corridor overlay district and design standards,” he said. “This is basically our front door so we welcome that smart growth. We just want to make sure it’s done in a way that supports what our community vision is and I think we’ve done that with the overlay district and the design standards that we have. If you look at the rendition of this hospital, you can tell that it’s a very attractive building and we’re looking forward to more buildings that compliment what we’ve already got planned for this area.”
And until the new hospital is finally complete, with an opening date set for 2024, Dockery said that the current hospital will continue to serve the community.
“We have a fully functional hospital located on the original campus of the hospital and it works well,” he said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people in the community and they’re very pleased with the healthcare that they receive at that hospital and I think they’ll continue to provide that service for Lumpkin County and the surrounding counties until this facility is built….It’s only going to get better.”