Augusta University Health System may enter a partnership with Wellstar, one of Georgia’s largest hospital systems, in a move that could grow MCG into one of the nation’s largest public medical schools.
According to a news release, AU Health System has signed a letter of intent to partner with Marietta-based Wellstar Health System, which owns approximately nine hospitals in metro Atlanta and west Georgia.
Subject to regulatory approval, the partnership could provide significant investment in existing facilities, as well as the new hospital and medical complex planned in Columbia County, AU President and acting health system CEO Brooks Keel said in a statement.
“This partnership with the Georgia-based, not-for-profit Wellstar Health System would enable us to extend our mission of improving health through excellence in patient care, education and research for the benefit of Georgians,” Keel said.
Sonny Perdue, chancellor of the University System of Georgia, said the partnership would leverage Wellstar’s clinical platform and health system to support patients “while providing more opportunities for students to learn, train and care for residents” around the state.
MORE: Columbia County poised for even more growth
The potential partnership was initiated by AU Health System, its board and Augusta University in 2019 in an effort to grow MCG while expanding care and access across the state, the statement said.
The Supreme Court of Georgia last year denied review of a final appeal by Doctors Hospital which authorized AU Medical Center to move forward with building a 100-bed hospital in Columbia County. Despite the area’s large number of medical beds, the hospital plan was granted a special exception if Columbia County agreed to pay 25% of the cost.
Both Doctors and University Hospital, which was recently acquired by Piedmont Healthcare, presented bids to build the hospital.
Through an expanded affiliation with MCG, the partnership will address the need for Georgia to train more physicians, according to the AU statement. This could be achieved through a new teaching campus at Wellstar Kennestone, Wellstar’s hospital in Marietta, it said.
The new campus could grow the size of MCG’s freshman class – it’s currently the ninth-largest in the United States – to one of the largest in the country, the statement said.
“With our entire nation facing a physician shortage and our state typically ranking about 40th in the number of physicians per capita, educating the next generation of physicians is more critical than ever,” said David Hess, dean of MCG and and executive vice president of medical affairs and integration at Augusta University.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
