By HFT Staff

The future of healthcare in Lumpkin County, Georgia, and the anchor of the Gateway Corridor is officially under construction. Hundreds of people, community leaders, healthcare workers and project members gathered recently to break ground at the future campus of Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) Lumpkin. 

The campus has been in the planning phase since 2019. That’s when the current NGMC Lumpkin hospital opened in Dahlonega, thanks to collaboration by Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), local leaders and state officials after the previous hospital owner closed its doors. Sights were immediately set on how to move the hospital to the future campus and grow its services to care for more people, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays. 

NGMC Lumpkin provides 24/7/365 emergency care to Dahlonega and surrounding communities. The hospital also provides inpatient care and supporting imaging, lab and pharmacy services. Plans call for the future 66,000-square-foot building to be home to: 

• 16 private inpatient rooms 
• 10 emergency treatment rooms 
• four dedicated observation rooms 
• a fast-track area and separate entrance and exit 
• three operating rooms 
• one procedural suite to support orthopedics, sports medicine, general surgery and other services 
• café and dining area.