NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — Piedmont Healthcare plans to invest nearly $600 million to build a new hospital in Newton County and relocate Piedmont Newton Hospital from its current facility in Covington.
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Piedmont filed a Letter of Determination with the Georgia Department of Community Health for the proposed project. The health system said it will cover the full cost of the project.
The investment would be the second-largest capital project in Piedmont’s history, behind the Marcus Tower, which opened on the Piedmont Atlanta Hospital campus in 2020.
Piedmont said it has invested nearly $2 billion in expansion projects in the communities it serves over the past five years.
The existing Piedmont Newton Hospital was built in 1954 and is licensed for 128 beds. Piedmont said the hospital’s aging and landlocked physical plant currently limits its ability to expand.
The planned relocation is intended to allow the hospital to modernize and grow as Newton County and communities along the I-20 corridor continue to develop.
“The relocation hospital not only will enable us to provide more access and high-quality care now but it also will position us to grow with Newton County and to support those communities along the I-20 corridor to the east,” Piedmont Newton CEO Lindsey Petrini said.
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Piedmont partnered with Newton Medical Center to form Piedmont Newton in 2015. Since then, Piedmont said it has invested $70 million into expanding services and the hospital facility.
Newton County is located about 35 miles east of Atlanta and has more than 112,000 residents, according to the 2020 U.S. Census.
Piedmont Newton employs about 1,000 people and has more than 500 physicians and 200 Advanced Practice Practitioners on its medical staff.
During Fiscal Year 2026, the hospital had nearly 8,000 inpatient admissions, while its 32-bed emergency department received more than 52,000 visits.
The hospital also provides advanced Neonatal Intensive Care services and serves as a Primary Stroke Center for the area.
Since joining the Piedmont system, Piedmont Newton has received 11 A grades from the Leapfrog Group, which rates hospitals on patient safety.
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