Everything You Need to Know about the Atlanta Northside Hospital Expansion
In June 2020, Atlanta’s Northside Hospital announced a $400 million, 10-story patient tower expansion to their Gwinnett campus. The facility plans included 132 inpatient beds and at least 5,000 new jobs for the Northside workforce. Because of heightened demand, the project scope became even more extensive in December of the same year.
What are the details of the updated Atlanta Northside Hospital expansion?
The updated plan will add seven more floors and 146 routine inpatient care and intensive care patient rooms to the tower, bringing the total to 17 stories with capacity for 696 beds. Because of the added square footage, this will also necessitate approximately 1,000 extra jobs.
Once construction is complete, the Northside Hospital’s Gwinnett campus will be the largest site in their system. The tower will also be in the running for the largest building in Gwinnett Country with a height of 257 feet and six inches (it could potentially lose that title to the Sonesta Gwinnett Place Atlanta hotel, which has at least 15 floors).
Project approval was granted from the Georgia Department of Community Health in December of last year. Because the hospital is located near Briscoe Field and will be more than 200 feet tall, Northside must also receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration before construction on the new floors can proceed. Work on the tower’s foundation is already underway.
Why was the expansion project updated to include more floors?
Gwinnett Country is one of the fastest growing areas of Georgia, adding an estimated 14,000 residents since 2021. According to data from the Atlanta Regional Commission, the county is close to surpassing more than 1 million residents. And the numbers show no signs of slowing down. Gwinnett’s estimated population growth is 1.4 percent, just above the 11-county region-wide growth of 1.3 percent.
As Gwinnett County’s population increases, there’s a growing demand for inpatient beds, a need that was already high because of the global pandemic. The hope is that the updated expansion accommodates not only the current resident needs but can also handle the anticipated future growth. Northside administrators view the expansion as a commitment to having the space that patients deserve and providing the highest possible level of healthcare service.
Are there other expansion plans in addition to the new patient tower?
While the new patient tower is the part of the expansion receiving the most attention, it’s not the only addition to the Northside Gwinnett campus. There will be a new parking deck and medical office tower. Construction on both projects has already begun and is expected to be completed in the summer of this year.
When is the Atlanta Northside Hospital patient tower expansion expected to be complete?
Upon the roll-out of the first tower expansion, construction was anticipated to wrap up in 2025. While administrators are holding firm to this date, even with the added floors, one thing that is changing is the price. The original $400 million price tag is increasing by another $400 million, bringing the total to $800 million.
What’s the process like to move into the new tower?
With added space comes more capabilities and some departmental shuffling and rearranging. Those expecting relocation include the current intensive care unit moving into the new tower and pre-op services moving into the former ICU.
Making these shifts in a business setting is complicated, but moving medical spaces brings added complexities, even if you are already working on the premises. That’s because the rearranging isn’t limited to just furniture and equipment; it involves coordinating record management, relocating a large number of employees and communicating changes to patients. Managing the transfer while keeping day-to-day operations running smoothly requires the assistance of a knowledgeable moving partner.
Armstrong Atlanta knows what it takes for a successful medical move
Armstrong understands the urgency and care that medical moves require to minimize downtime and prevent errors. Because we’ve performed several large-scale hospital and manufacturing moves in the greater Atlanta area, we’ve perfected our extreme attention to detail and a full suite of comprehensive services to handle any relocation need.
When you need assistance with medical disassembly, delivery, decommissioning, storage, packing, transportation or reinstallation, Armstrong Atlanta should be your first call. Call 770.368.0368 or request a free quote online.
