Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin Ground Breaking

Community, Featured Stories

LUMPKIN COUNTY, Ga.- Northeast Georgia Health System broke ground on the new Lumpkin County Medical Center on 400 on Jun. 22 at 10:00 a.m.

In attendance were the Board Chair, for NGHS Spence Price, President & CEO for NGHS Carol Burrell, Interim President for NGMC Sonja McLendon, and numerous local officials from Dahlonega and Lumpkin County. There were also elected officials from Dawson and White Counties present for the ceremony.

Senator Steve Gooch and House Repenstative Will Wade came to support the groundbreaking. Lumpkin County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners Chris Dockery along with Gooch, Price, Burrell, and McLendon each delivered remarks for the ceremony.

The Proposed Floor Plan

The new medical center will offer emergency services including 10 treatment rooms, four dedicated observation rooms, positive to negative pressure capability, separate emergency entrance and exit, and CT and X-ray capability. IT will offer surgical services that include three operating rooms, and one procedural suite, and will serve orthopedics, sports medicine, and general surgery.

The rest of the services the new center will offer include, 16 patient rooms (290 sq. ft per room), a visitor zone with a charging station and independent lighting, large bathrooms, and walk-in showers. It will offer inpatient telehealth specialty care including Cardiology, Psychology, Pulmonology, Neurology, and Nephrology. There will also be a cafe and dining area as well as an on-site lab and pharmacy.

Left to right Angela Gary and Kay Hall members of the NGMC Lumpkin staff.

There were also current members of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center Lumpkin at the ceremony to celebrate their new hospital. One of those members was the Director of Lumpkin Emergency Department and Inpatient Kay Hall. Hall and Executive Director of Trauma and Emergency Services Angela Gary expressed the staff’s excitement for the new location.

The blessing for the hospital was delivered by Dr. Steve Schofield of Dahlonega United Methodist Church. To view the full ceremony please visit https://www.facebook.com/myNGHS/videos/3092330984413007.

The hospital was officially approved by the County Commissioner in July of 2021. To review that decision visit https://lumpkin.fetchyournews.com/2021/07/21/commissioners-approve-new-hospital/. The hospital is set to open in April of 2024.

Heard above are Dockery’s closing remarks about the hospital.

City Enters Into New Fleet Replacement Contract

Community

DAHLONEGA, Ga.- Finance Director Allison Martin presented a fleet replacement contract with Enterprise to the council for their approval, they voted unanimously to enter into the contract.

Martin also presented the council with an option to start an authorized purchase card program for their travel expenses. The council will also be sending a letter of support to Lumpkin County Water and Sewerage Authority.

At the May 16 work session Martin and a representative from Enterprise Rachel McGirr presented the council with Enterprise’s options for a new fleet replacement contract. To review that meeting visit https://lumpkin.fetchyournews.com/2022/05/17/council-approves-distilled-package-store-ordinances/. At the time the council opted to take more time to think and discuss the contract.

McGirr and Martin brought this back before the council due to purchase windows closing for new vehicles. Since COVID the car manufacturers have made their windows for orders for companies smaller, in some cases, they can open one day and then close the next. If the council wished to enter into this contract time was of the essence.

The annual lease for the fleet replacement will be about $90,000. The maintenance will be handled locally, a local shop has approached McGirr about a partnership with the company. This will give the one maintenance worker employed by the city an opportunity to focus on the diesel vehicles that Enterprise will not handle and other equipment.

Martin has reached out to five other jurisdictions that have a contract with Enterprise to verify their experiences. Four of those she contacted responded to her request and stated they were delighted with their experiences. The minium time frame any of those jurisdictions had been in contract with Enterprise is 18 months.

Rachel McGirr while answering the council’s questions on the contract.

McGirr’s estimate for the amount the city will save in the first year of this alone is about half a million dollars. She did state that this was a conservative estimate. If after the first year the city decides to end their contract there will be no plenties, they will be required to pay however much is left on the lease for the vehicles.

There is a possibility for the fleet to transition into electric vehicles, McGirr’s suggestion is to start with just one admin car and go from there. There is also the potential to set up tracking in the vehicles to ensure safe driving practices and also for staff to know where everyone is when an incident occurs so they know how can respond the fastest.

“I just want go on record that we will not be buying Teslas,” stated Mayor JoAnne Taylor.

Martin also presented the council with an option to start using a purchase card program. They currently use bank-issued cards, city-issued checks, or their personal debit/credit cards.

Under this current approach, the cards do not get rebates on purchases. Also, hotels are starting to not accept the city-issued checks. The city is also having to issue reimbursements for personal card usage.

Using the purchase cards they will be able to gain rebates and there will be less need for reimbursements. Martin has run similar programs with other cities she has worked with and seen good results.

The cards would be through Bank of America. There is also the potential for department heads to be able to check out the cards for some purchases if the council approves that course of action.

Currently, both councilmembers Roman Gaddis and Johnny Ariemma have stated that they are not interested in being assigned a card. The council took no action on this for the time being.

The letter of support that the city has issued for the Lumpkin County Water and Sewerage Authority is for the authority to seek out a Publicly Owned Treatment Works or POTW to support the hospital going in on 400. The city and county have a partnership and the city can’t support the amount of wastewater that a hospital needs. To review the letter visit https://mccmeetings.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/dahlonega-pubu/MEET-Packet-e8042dd11a244230a1499d8dd7ae8903.pdf, the letter is on page 48.

The hospital will have its groundbreaking Wednesday, Jun. 22 at 10:00 a.m. Due to parking this event is not open to the public but can be viewed online via https://www.facebook.com/events/388048413373142/?ref=newsfeed.

The events are planned for the 4th of July celebration.

The 4th of July celebration will also be held back in the city this year. There is a full day of events for families to enjoy.

UPDATED: Closing and Cancellation info for Lumpkin County

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closing and cancellations

Stay up to date with closing and cancellations in Lumpkin County and keep visiting this article daily to find out the latest closings and cancellations as they are announced.

 

Closing Info UPDATED 3.19.20 8:00AM

Lumpkin County has created a page for virus updates)

  • Lumpkin County Magistrate Court, in compliance with the order entered by The Honorable Harold D. Melton, Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, will be closing to the public beginning March 18, 2020 until further notice. 
  • The Lumpkin County Tax Commissioner’s Office is closed to the public.  They are happy to assist you over the phone by taking payments or talking you through the online system.  If it is absolutely necessary to register your vehicle, they will make an appointment for you.  
  • The Lumpkin County Animal Shelter is closing to the public.  They will be accepting appointments for those that need to visit the shelter.    
  • Lumpkin County Tax Assessor’s Office  – should you feel it necessary to meet in person regarding your appraisal, you will need to call and schedule an appointment.  Otherwise, the office staff is handling all other questions via phone.
  • Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation activities are suspended until further notice.  Facility rentals for gatherings is also suspended until further notice.
  • Lumpkin County will not be utilizing Community Service workers through the end of the month.  This will be re-evaluated at the end of the month. 
  • 9th District Opportunity’s office located in the Administration Building will be closing March 18th through March 26th.  
  • Lumpkin 101 classes suspended until further notice.
  • Lumpkin County Library Grand Opening on March 28th has been cancelled.
  • Lumpkin County Library will be closing March 16th through March 30th.  The library is waiving all fines for materials during the closure. Book drops are closed.  As a reminder, Wi-Fi for each branch of the library does reach into the parking lots.
  • Lumpkin County Schools will be closed March 16 through March 20. 
  • Temporary Closure of the Senior Center Out of an abundance of caution, and because the senior population seems to be one of the groups most susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, Lumpkin County Board of Commissioners has taken the pro-active step of temporarily closing the Senior Center. The Senior Center will be temporarily closed beginning March 16 through the end of the month. Our hope is that this will allow the instances of COVID-19 virus to diminish in number, which should reduce exposure to this vulnerable population. Over the next few weeks, we will re-evaluate this decision as the situation unfolds and expectation of reopening the Senior Center on April 1, if the situation allows. During this time, volunteers will still distribute home-delivered meals to clients who are currently receiving this service. Senior Center staff will be checking on clients on a daily basis as well as continuing their practices of deep cleaning the whole building.

 

Department changes info

  • The Lumpkin County Tax Commissioner’s Office reminds citizens that most every items can be handled via an online process.  The links can be found on their webpage. There is also a payment drop box at the ADA entrance to the Administration Building.  This box can be used for payments or correspondence for this office.
  • The Lumpkin County Tax Assessor’s Office reminds citizens that most every issue with their office can be handled via email, standard mail or phone.  Their webpage has more detailed information.
  • Lumpkin County Magistrate Court reminds citizens that Civil Action questions can be answered by calling the civil court clerk at 706-864-3736.  Criminal matters or County Ordinance Violation questions can be answered by calling the criminal court clerk at 706-864-7760.  
  • The Animal Shelter is no longer accepting walk-ins, they encourage you to call the shelter at 706-867-7297 if you need assistance. 
  • The Planning Department is limiting access to its office.  You will be able to receive assistance via the service window located in the front lobby of their office.  They are reminding everyone that they have forms on their webpage that can be used to conduct business and reduce the need to visit their office in person.  They will continue to respond to complaints but will limit direct contact.  
  • The Lumpkin County Fire Marshal’s Office has limited public access to their office.  If you need to drop off plans, those should be left in the Planning Department. Plans will be picked up daily.  To pay your fees, please visit the Fire Marshall’s page to access the online payment form.
  • The County Clerk is limiting access to the office and reminds businesses that Alcohol Excise Tax payments may be paid online or you can mail your checks.  
  • The Lumpkin County Extension Service has limited access to their office.  Please knock on the door, or call, for assistance. 

 

 

The State of Georgia has announced a hotline that is staffed and ready to answer Coronavirus (COVID-19) questions.  Please call 1-844-442-2681.

 

Hospital info Northeast Georgia Medical Center

What do I do if I feel sick?  If you have a fever and cough or difficulty breathing, these steps will help you find the care you need and limit the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in our region:

  • Call before you come
    • Please call your doctor’s office or an urgent care clinic for advice about where you should go for treatment.
    • If you already have an appointment scheduled and have recently traveled to an area affected by Coronavirus, please call the office before you leave your house.
  • Call 9-1-1 for emergencies
    • Calling 9-1-1 is always the fastest and most efficient way to get proper treatment for medical emergencies.
  • Consider staying home and completing an E-Visit
    • We have updated our online E-Visits to ask screening questions that may indicate if you have Coronavirus.
    • Just visit www.ngpg.org/evisit-info for instructions about how to complete an E-Visit from the comfort of your home.

Are they able to test? NGHS has the ability to coordinate testing at some of our locations. Please call your doctor’s office or urgent care clinic for advice about whether testing is right for you. Recently we implemented a new E-Visit specific to the Coronavirus. Just visit www.ngpg.org/evisit-info for instructions about how to complete an E-Visit from the comfort of your home.

Should I be wearing a mask? It is important for everyone to remember that the CDC does not recommend face masks for the general public who are well as a protection from COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases. If people stockpile masks at their homes out of concern, they could inadvertently prevent healthcare facilities from getting the supplies they need for ill patients and the staff treating those patients. Instead, good hand hygiene – washing hands for at least 20 seconds – is very important and cough etiquette – covering your mouth while you cough or sneeze and then washing hands or using sanitizer– is Highly Recommend    

Public Healthline: 8667824584

 

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