News Releases

August 1, 2006
Troup County Commissioners adopt resolution to create hospital authority

The Troup County Board of Commissioners today adopted a resolution allowing West Georgia Health System to reorganize its legal entity as a hospital authority.

“To the public, this will be a seamless transition,” says WGHS President/CEO Jerry Fulks. “We have essentially been operating as a hospital authority since we opened our doors in 1937, but our charter predates the 1941 Georgia law that created hospital authorities.”

Under the proposed hospital authority, WGHS will have the same nine-member board comprised of community and physician volunteers overseeing its operations. The real difference will be that the reorganization will more clearly define the hospital’s legal structure.

“By clarifying our structure, we will be strengthening our ability to secure bond financing for our $65 million expansion project,” Fulks points out. “This reorganization also allows us greater flexibility as we consider investment options. It gives us the ability to make more aggressive, yet conservative, investments as we prepare for our future growth.”

This WGHS expansion project, which is set to break ground in January 2007, will include a new four-story patient tower that will house a state-of-the-art Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, Women’s Services and Cardiology Services.