The time is approaching for the opening of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America Hospital in Newnan’s Ashley Park. The hospital’s economic impact to Coweta County is expected to be more than substantial. Helping pave the way for that impact and the facility’s opening is a career fair to be held on May 8 at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park.
The 226,000 square-foot hospital at Ashley Park will open on Aug. 15. CTCA has estimated that the facility will begin operations with 170 staff and will increase that number to 270 by September 2013. CTCA within the first five years of operation expects to have a staff of 500. For all the employees that will present at start-up, only 60 will be transferred from other CTCA facilities across the country. That makes for plenty of opportunity for local residents to find medical employment in Coweta’s growing healthcare industry, CTCA representatives said.
As for patients, the hospital expects to serve more than 600 patients during the first fiscal year. Those patients are expected to come from metro Atlanta and from across the Southeast United States, company representatives said.
In terms of the local economy, CTCA has projected a local economic impact of $500 million in the first five years of operation. That impact will come from the hundreds of new jobs, the relocating of many of those staff to the Coweta County area and from the new businesses and jobs such as restaurants and hotels that will be created as a result of the CTCA’s presence.
“Newnan is a great place to live and it’s important for us to create an environment of care where professionals will want to live.” said CTCA’s Vice President of Operations David Kent.
Yet another aspect of the economic impact will come from patients and their families traveling to Newnan from outside metro Atlanta and from across the Southeast to CTCA’s only facility in the Southeastern U.S.
“With patients and their families traveling from out of state, they will contribute greatly to the growth and vitality of the local economy,” Kent said, adding that, in total, “We’re going to have a huge impact on the economy, with people buying homes and setting up new bank accounts.”
But why did CTCA settle on Newnan for its location?
“Newnan made a lot of sense for us,” Kent said. “Newnan has access to Hartsfield Airport for our patients traveling from around Georgia and other states. And the Ashley park development will be very attractive for our patients and their families with its shopping opportunities in a setting that has the feel of an outdoor mall. There is the downtown Newnan area that provides another opportunity for our patients and their families. And the city and county are great places for our staff of all income levels to live.”
Newnan and Coweta are still new to CTCA. So what are the company’s impressions thus far?
“Everybody embraced us. Everybody at every level has been absolutely wonderful to work with and they’ve bent over backwards to help us be successful,” Kent said.
Newnan and Coweta County are growing, Kent said, and both have forward-thinking local governments.
CTCA will be hosting a Career Fair at the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park on May 8 from noon until 8 p.m. for those interested in learning about job opportunities available at the new CTCA hospital.
The hospital is currently looking to fill the following positions: nursing (in-patient, out-patient, infusion, ICU and surgery), surgical technicians, rehabilitation therapists, respiratory therapists, sterile processing technicians and registered nurse case managers.
CTCA is also seeking management/supervisory positions in surgery, in-patient, nurse/house, quality/risk and pharmacy.
CTCA will also hold a blessing ceremony for the new hospital on May 5 from 10 a.m. until noon at the hospital site.
