The day finally arrived on Wednesday for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America hospital at Ashley Park in Newnan to accept its first patients. And as they began to arrive from across the Southeastern United States, patients and their families entered a state-of-the-art facility that looks more like a luxury hotel.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the hospital were held just over a year ago. Now one year later, the 226,000 square-foot, all-digital hospital features 50 beds, ICU rooms, surgical suites, state-of-the-art radiation and infusion therapy departments, an on-site outpatient clinic, rehabilitation and physical therapy and on-site residential accommodations for outpatients and their families.
Essentially amounting to a brand difference in its approach, CTCA treats the whole person, not just the cancer, and combines advanced medical technologies with supportive therapies such as nutrition, acupuncture, oncology rehab and mind-body medicine, CTCA officials said.
CTCA is quick to acknowledge its patient-centered approach. That approach extends beyond the wide array of therapy and abundant staff. Amenities at the hospital include pick-up services at Hartsfield-Atlanta Airport, 60 guest rooms for patients and caregivers, full-service RV and camper facilities, valet parking, shuttle service to area shopping venues, a full-service salon, roof-top terraces and meals prepared by chef Roy Khoo.
The hospital in Newnan is CTCA’s entre to the Southeastern U.S. Intended to serve cancer patients from across the region, CTCA estimates that at least 65 percent of its patients will come from outside Georgia. CTCA also operates hospitals in suburban Chicago, Tulsa, Philadelphia and Phoenix.
For Coweta County there is also an economic impact that accompanies the CTCA opening. The hospital was expected to open 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.
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.
