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Wellstar is set to build a new hospital in Cobb County, Georgia, that will “address the growing need for hospital beds in Acworth and the surrounding areas.” The Georgia Department of Community Health has approved Wellstar Health System’s plan, the Marietta Daily Journal reported on Wednesday. Why It Matters Wellstar said the project would expand access to care across the county, which has a population of more than 766,000, according to the 2020 Census. Cobb County is the third largest in Georgia and is situated in the Atlanta metro area, with Acworth less than an hour's drive from the state capital. The opening of a new hospital would continue Wellstar's over $1 billion in charity and uncompensated care annually, more than any health system in Georgia, according to Wellstar. What To Know Wellstar announced that it filed a Letter of Intent to the department in May 2025 to build a new 230-bed hospital in Acworth. It then filed a detailed Certificate of Need (CON) application around June 23, 2025, that included both architectural rendering and the ways the hospital will address community needs. “Wellstar is improving access to care, and this new hospital is the latest in a series of projects that do just that,” said Wellstar Health System President and CEO Candice L. Saunders in a statement announcing the hospital plans. “The area is growing so much that even when our new tower at Wellstar Kennestone opens next year, the region will need more hospital beds. A new hospital in Acworth would fill a crucial need for the region’s medical care.” Wellstar said it works to improve access to care for communities across the state with more than $1.4 billion in projects, including building new towers at Wellstar Kennestone and Wellstar Paulding; adding a new oncology center to Wellstar Spalding Medical Center "to help keep cancer care local"; adding primary, pediatric and urgent care and specialty services in the communities Wellstar serves; and partnering with Augusta University Medical College of Georgia Center for Digital Health to provide rural hospitals with access to specialty care. After filing the Certificate of Need in June, Wellstar detailed the plans for the proposed hospital. The eight-story, 675,000-square-foot facility would have 70 emergency department bays and eight operating rooms. Wellstar said if approved, this hospital would provide easier emergency care access, expand access to care for patients regardless of their ability to pay, enhance healthcare throughout the region, create jobs and economic development and provide broader access to Wellstar's integrated care network. What Happens Next This new hospital will be located on Cobb Parkway across from the Wellstar Acworth Health Park. When the health system announced it filed the Letter of Intent, Saunders promised to include various voices from the community as the plan developed. “We will involve the community in every step of this process, and make sure this hospital meets the community’s needs for generations to come,” she said in a statement. What People Are Saying Lisa Cupid, chairwoman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, said in May that this hospital could bring a lot of good to the community. “Access to healthcare has been expanding throughout Cobb County, but we still have an unmet need for hospital beds in the northern portion of our county,” she said. “Wellstar is deeply committed to our region, and we’re grateful that they recognized this need and are stepping forward with a solution.” Newsweek reached out to Cobb County and Wellstar Health for comment.
