Dan Sweitzer, Vice President of Market Development, Floyd Medical Center, talked about the hospital’s past, present and future in an address to the Polk County Chamber of Commerce Wednesday morning, Oct. 14.

The facility, he said, was created 70 years ago as a small county hospital. It is now located on a sprawling campus with 250 medical and surgical beds.

Three years ago, Floyd decided to expand its emergency medical services (EMS) into Polk County. Two stations were placed in Rockmart and earlier this year was rolled out in Cedartown.

Construction on a hospital facility is underway in Rockmart across U.S. 278 from Wal-Mart. It will provide not only urgent and primary care but also outpatient rehab and diagnostic services. Hopes are to have the work completed with an opening by the end of the year.

Sweitzer outlined the ongoing process of located a new hospital and renovating the existing building in Cedartown.

“Although Polk Medical Center (PMC) has been a great facility for a long time,” he said, “it is not large enough nor configured appropriately to accommodate the additional services that the residents of Polk County need or want in their community hospital.”

He said the existing PMC building will be renovated for other uses once the new hospital opens. It is seen as an ideal location for health care and social service programs.

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