Atlanta-based Emory Healthcare requested a certificate of need to pursue $33 million in renovations and to reopen its closed hospital in Smyrna, Ga., The Marietta Daily Journal reports.
The hospital closed in 2014 due to sustained financial losses. Although several physicians and nurses operate out of the facility, the hospital has no emergency or inpatient treatment. Emory requested a CON to offer these services and move forward with the proposed renovations, which require state board approval.
The Georgia Department of Community Health initially awarded Emory a CON in August 2016. However, Marietta, Ga.-based WellStar Health System appealed Emory's CON and delayed the process of the hospital's reopening for nearly a year, the report states. A hearing for the appeal occurred in March, and DCH again granted Emory's proposed CON July 5. WellStar can appeal the decision until next month.
Emory did not offer a timeline of the renovation process. The hospital's CON includes "extensive renovations and upgrades" and the "purchase of new MRI and CT equipment," Janet Christenbury, an Emory spokesperson, told The Marietta Daily Journal.