St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital announced that it has closed on a 24-acre site on Ga. Highway 44 that will be home to a new replacement hospital to better serve the greater Greensboro area.

In addition, interim President Montez Carter said that St. Mary’s has selected a project management firm to handle construction of the new replacement hospital and is in the final

stages of selecting an architect.

“We have been extremely pleased with the number, expertise, and quality of firms that are competing for this project,” Carter said. “We are considering only highly skilled professional organizations with healthcare experience, and look forward to announcing the project manager soon and the architect in mid-April. We are on track to clear land and break ground before July.”

The property for the new replacement hospital is located on the west side of Ga. 44 between West Lake Road and Carey Station Road. St. Mary’s completed the purchase with Reynolds Partners L.P. and James M. Reynolds III, Friday, March 23, for an undisclosed sum. St. Mary’s announced the selection of the site in January and soon thereafter erected signs announcing the property would be the location of the new replacement hospital. Friday’s signing clears the way for St. Mary’s to move forward with design and construction.

“This is wonderful news for the health of Greene County’s citizens and future citizens, as well as a shot in the arm for the local economy and future development prospects,” said Greene County Board of Commissioners Chairman Dene Channell. “With St. Mary’s purchase of the Highway 44 Tract at Carey Station Road, things are moving forward and a new hospital is now a question of when, not if. Many people, including myself, are excited that a hospital of St. Mary’s reputation has decided to invest in our community.”

St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital Board Chair Joe Gorman agreed. “The purchase of the land is a significant step in bringing a state-of-the-art hospital to Greene County,” he said. “It keeps us on track for construction to begin late in the second quarter as planned.”

“St. Mary’s is 100 percent committed to making St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital one of the finest critical access hospitals in the state, if not the nation,” Carter said. “Our goal is to provide area residents with the highest quality of care and service possible.”

The 25-bed hospital is expected to cost more than $40 million, funded by St. Mary’s, Catholic Health East, and donations from the community. The facility will be significantly larger than the current hospital and will provide ample space and infrastructure for services such as 24/7 emergency care; advanced imaging services including digital mammography, x-ray, MRI and a 64-slice CT scanner; surgical services, and enhanced medical services in cooperation with area physicians.