Tift Regional Health System, the Adel-Cook County Tourism Authority and Adel-Cook County Chamber of Commerce held a groundbreaking ceremony on March 8 for a brand new, $40 million facility for Cook Medical Center. The event included distinguished guests and speakers as well as a celebration luncheon. Thanks to all of the organizers of today’s groundbreaking ceremony. We also appreciate all of the many guests who attended. Great turn-out! We appreciate the community’s supports.

Facts about the new Cook Medical Center facility:

• Cook Medical Center is a campus of Tift Regional Medical Center.

• The goal of the new facility is to increase access to care, enhance the patient experience and bring more specialties to the area. The replacement facility for Cook Medical Center will mirror the same services that are offered at the current facility, to include acute inpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory services, rehabilitation, endoscopy, sleep center, geriatric psychiatric care at The Sylvia Barr Center, as well as skilled nursing care at Cook Senior Living Center.

• The current primary care clinics, Cook Family Wellness Center and Cook Primary Care, will also have a new building housed at the replacement facility. The new facility will not include a new ER, but will have a Convenient Care clinic for the treatment of minor injuries and illnesses.

• Enhanced services will include an outpatient surgical suite. Potential surgical specialties include gastroenterology, general surgery, vascular surgery, orthopedics, podiatry and more.

• The new facility will be 120,000-square-feet, including a 10,000-square-foot medical office building.

• Bed-size of the new facility: 20 hospital beds (18 private rooms; 2 semi-private rooms) and 95 nursing home beds (87 private rooms; 8 semi-private rooms).

• The new facility will be located in Adel, just off of Exit 37 at Interstate-75. The facility will be built on a 43-acre tract of land at the former location of the Georgia Forestry Commission.

• The cost of the new facility is approximately $40 million. Approximately 70 percent of the funding for construction will come from the Hospital Authority of Tift County through a USDA rural development loan. The remaining 30 percent of funding will be provided through financial commitments from the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the City of Adel, the Cook County Economic Development Commission and the Adel Industrial Development Authority.

• The design team include leaders at Tift Regional Medical Center and Cook Medical Center as well as Meadows and Ohly (program managers), CDH (architects and interior design), Brasfield and Gorrie (general contractors), Columbia Engineering (civil engineers) and HPD (mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineers).

• In designing the new facility, special consideration has been taken regarding the patient journey and the role of family and the community as integral care partners. The facility will have an easy way-finding system to promote security and safety.

• Cook Medical Center is expected to add approximately 50 new job positions after the new facility opens to the public. This will be an estimated annual spend of $4.3 million, including salaries and benefits.

• Construction for the new facility is expected to be completed in September 2019.