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Photo cutline: Gov. Brian Kemp joined Piedmont Healthcare staff for a tour of the Marcus Tower.
Atlanta is bracing for a surge in COVID-19 cases across Georgia. Gov. Brian Kemp announced a partnership today (July 14) to provide additional hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients in Georgia at the Marcus Tower of Piedmont Healthcare’s Atlanta campus.
Kemp and Kevin Brown, president and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, say the partnership includes providing the initial usage of 62 beds, with the capability to scale up based on demand.
“I’m very grateful to Kevin Brown and the entire Piedmont Healthcare team for their willingness to partner with the state of Georgia and provide this critical resource to patients and surrounding hospitals,” said Gov. Kemp. “These hospital beds will provide additional surge capacity for healthcare facilities in metro-Atlanta and ensure COVID-19 patients receive the essential care they need.”
The state will leverage existing medical staffing contracts to provide necessary personnel to Piedmont Atlanta throughout the usage of the facility. This facility is expected to be fully operational within the next week.
The partnership includes initial usage of 62 beds, with the capability to scale up based on demand.
“Our mission as a nonprofit healthcare system is to serve patients in our communities and the new Marcus Tower will incorporate the latest technology and larger patient rooms to provide for enhanced care, among numerous other benefits,” said Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Brown. “Opening the tower early will help to meet the needs of our communities – and all Georgians – and provide the highest quality of care possible.”
Georgia has 123,963 confirmed cases of COVID-19; 3,054 deaths, 13,685 hospitalizations and 2,662 ICU admissions, according to the Georgia Department of Health.
Reports released today at 2:50 p.m. from the department, show that Georgia had 3,394 new cases statewide; 28 deaths and 209 hospitalizations.