WGAA 1340AM Cedartown

Members of the Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority, the Hospital Authority of Floyd County and Floyd Healthcare Management Inc. have signed a definitive agreement through which the Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority will lease Polk Medical Center to the Hospital Authority of Floyd County beginning April 1, 2012. The boards had originally projected a January 1 commencement, but later agreed to three-month extension of the existing lease with Redmond Regional Medical Center in order to facilitate an orderly transition.

The final lease agreement provides for Floyd to renovate and enhance the existing Polk Medical Center, and to build a new and expanded replacement hospital in Polk County by 2016.

“We are thrilled to be officially starting the process of further enhancing health care in Polk County,” stated Kurt Stuenkel, President and CEO of Floyd Medical Center. “Now that we have a definitive agreement we will immediately begin the selection process for an architect and general contractor who will work with us to design and build a new hospital for Polk County.”

Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority chairman Harold Wyatt also expressed his satisfaction with the final agreement. “We are pleased that the negotiation process is complete. We are very happy with the selection of Floyd and we are looking forward to working together to expand health services in Polk County.”

The agreement also provides for the renovation and enhancement of the existing Polk Medical Center as well as the construction of a replacement hospital by 2016 to include two operating rooms and an adjoining Medical Office Building.

Operations of both the existing Cedartown hospital and future replacement facility will be managed by Polk Medical Center, Inc., a newly formed non-profit organization. Governance of the hospital operations will remain local. Six members of the Cedartown-Polk County Hospital Authority will serve on the nine-member board of directors which will govern Polk Medical Center. All funds earned by Polk Medical Center will remain in Polk County for the benefit of the county’s citizens. 

The complete documents can be found at both www.polkhospital.org and www.floyd.org.