Press Releases: Georgia
January 22, 2007
Kaiser Permanente to Open New Medical Center in West Cobb
ATLANTA, Ga. – Kaiser Permanente is a few weeks from opening a new medical center along the East-West Connector that officials say will provide convenient access to health care for people living in Cobb and surrounding Douglas County.
Located at 3640 Tramore Pointe Parkway, SW in Austell, Ga., Kaiser Permanente’s 26,000 square-foot medical center will open on Monday, February 26, making it the health plan’s third medical facility in Cobb County and the 13th facility in metro Atlanta. The health plan currently operates the Cumberland Medical Center off of I-285 and Paces Ferry Road and the TownPark Medical Center off of I-75 North and Chastain Road in Kennesaw.
"We looked at demographics to determine where we needed to expand and saw a great opportunity in West Cobb," said Linda Horning, Medical Center Administrator at the new location. "Many Cobb residents have told us our new center will be a welcome addition to the community because of its convenient location."
Horning said the new facility has the capacity for 27 exam rooms and will also offer laboratory and radiology services. An onsite pharmacy offering both prescription and over-the-counter medications will also be available. Staff includes physicians specializing in internal medicine, gynecology and pediatrics, and additional specialists will be added in the future. Another benefit of utilizing the West Cobb medical facility is that members have the advantage of Kaiser’s leading-edge electronic medical record system, which lets patients view portions of their health record via the Internet.
The facility is part of a $35 million construction project to increase access for Kaiser Permanente’s members and prospective members. In addition to the West Cobb center, Kaiser Permanente is building medical facilities in two other metro area locations. A medical center near Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia off I-20 is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2007 making it Kaiser Permanente’s third location in DeKalb County. Kaiser currently operates two DeKalb facilities — the Panola Medical Center on Hillandale Road in Lithonia and the Crescent Center in Tucker. Kaiser Permanente will build a medical facility in Northwest Gwinnett located in Sugar Hill/Buford later this year, making it the health plan’s second medical center in that county. Currently Kaiser Permanente members living in Gwinnett and surrounding communities seek care at the health plan’s Duluth medical office on Steve Reynolds Blvd.
Once the expansion project is completed, Kaiser Permanente will operate 15 medical centers in a 20-county service area in metro Atlanta. Kaiser Permanente currently cares for about 284,000 patients through 12 medical centers, physicians in the Southeast Permanente Medical Group or through a network of community physicians. The health plan currently operates medical centers in Alpharetta, Cumming, Duluth, Jonesboro, Kennesaw, Lithonia, McDonough, Tucker and four centers in Atlanta.
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Note to local reporters: An official ribbon-cutting ceremony takes place on Thursday, March 8, at 8-9 a.m. If you wish to attend the ceremony, please contact our media department at 404-949-5121.
Kaiser Permanente is the state of Georgia's largest nonprofit health plan, serving the health care needs of Atlanta metro area residents for 22 years. Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Georgia, Inc. currently provides comprehensive health care services to approximately 275,000 members through 15 medical facilities in a 28-county service, and a network of affiliated hospitals and physicians. The Health Plan provided more than $5 million in community benefit programs and services.
