Piedmont Fayette breaks ground on massive 7-story patient tower expansion

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. - Construction is officially underway on a seven-story patient tower at Piedmont Fayette Hospital, marking the largest capital investment by the Piedmont Healthcare system in years.

What we know:

The 200,000-square-foot addition is part of a massive expansion project that hospital officials say will transform the campus to meet the needs of a rapidly growing community. The project includes the addition of 90 new beds to start, as well as four new operating rooms.

What they're saying:

"We started about three weeks ago to start the construction of our new bed tower for Piedmont Fayette Hospital," said Steve Porter, CEO of Piedmont Fayette Hospital. "I think it’s an indication of a number of things. One: This is always been a major area for Piedmont Healthcare."

By the numbers:

The hospital currently houses 310 beds and employs more than 2,300 people, performing over 13,000 surgeries annually. The new tower will eventually bring the hospital’s total capacity to around 400 beds.

The project also includes:

• Renovating more than 30,000 square feet of existing space.
• Adding four new operating rooms (ORs).
• Increasing the total bed count to support the growing South Metro Atlanta population.

Dig deeper:

The expansion isn't just about space; it’s about specialized care. Within the last year, the hospital has launched neurosurgery and increased its focus on thoracic surgery. The new facility will further expand the hospital's footprint in vascular surgery.

"We’re going to be introducing a hybrid OR technology so it would be able to do more advanced vascular work," Porter said.

Timeline:

The expansion follows other substantial building projects on Atlanta’s south side, including recent additions to Piedmont Henry and Piedmont Newnan.

The construction at the Fayetteville campus is expected to take three years, with the new patient tower scheduled to open in the fall of 2029.