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Wednesday, January 15,2020
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A
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Northside Hospital Forsyth plans a two-floor, $43 million expansion due to rapid population growth.
Northside Hospital Forsyth plans expansion
By Kelly Whitmire
DCN Regional Staff
Northside Hospital Forsyth has sub
mitted plans for a new expansion that
will include adding an additional two
stories and 43 medical surgical short-
stay care beds at the hospital.
On Monday, Jan. 6, the hospital sub
mitted a certificate of need application
to the Georgia Department of Health for
the expansion, which is expected to cost
about $43 million. The expansion will
bring the hospital, already the tallest
building in Forsyth county, to 10 stories.
The state will give a decision within
120 days.
In the application, officials said the
expansion would involve a “2-story ver
tical addition to an existing patient
tower” adding 43 surgery short-stay
beds and also include 21 “23-hour
observation beds.” Each of the new
floors will house 32 patient rooms, and
the expansion will bring the total num
ber of beds in the hospital to 363.
Officials said the expansion is needed
due to the “rapid population growth” in
the communities served by the hospital,
including Forsyth adding a projected
41,000 residents between 2019
(237,438) and 2024 (278,318), accord
ing to U.S. Census Bureau projections.
The expansion will be the second to
raise the height of the hospital in recent
years, after a project to bring the hospi
tal from five to eight stories was com
pleted in 2016.
This proposed expansion would also
be one of several that the hospital has
announced or completed in recent
months.
In early November, Northside Forsyth
opened six new operating rooms at the
hospital’s Center for Advanced Surgical
Technology, adding supports for robotic,
neuro, orthopedic and spine surgeries.
Since opening, more than 400 surgeries
have taken place in the new ORs, a
spokesperson said.
The hospital also filed a Certificate of
Need application in late November to
convert 16 existing rooms to be used for
obstetrical patients in the hospital’s
Woman’s Center and meet projected
patient demands for 2024.
Three arrested for
trafficking meth
By Joshua Demarest
jdemarest@dawsonnews.com
On Jan. 7, 2020, Dawson County Sheriff’s
Deputy Talley Redmond observed a vehicle trav
eling on Ga 400 with equipment violations. A
check of the drivers and passengers revealed that
none of the occupants possessed a valid driver’s
license.
According to a statement by the Sheriff’s office,
“during a subsequent search of the vehicle, depu
ties located a baggy containing a crystal-like sub
stance believed to be methamphetamine. A baggy
containing a green leafy substance believed to be
marijuana was also found in the vehicle along
with scales and other drug paraphernalia.”
“A follow up investigation at a local hotel
revealed additional suspected methamphetamine
including needles with the suspected drug inside,”
the report continued.
The searches seized approximately 56 grams of
meth.
Per the statement, the following arrests and
charges were made.
Michael Aaron Mizell of Mississippi was arrest
ed and charged with the following:
• 1 count - Possession of a Controlled
Substance (F)
• 1 count - Crossing Guard Line with
Weapon / Drugs / Intoxicants (F) - Mizell
is accused of concealing a quantity of sus
pected methamphetamine on his body
which was found during a thorough
search by detention officers
• 1 count - Possession of Marijuana one
ounce or less (M)
• 1 count - Trafficking of
Methamphetamine (F)
• Joseph Channing Vanosdol of Mississippi
was arrested and charged with the follow
ing:
• 1 count - Trafficking of
Methamphetamine (F)
• 1 count - Possession of Marijuana one
ounce or less (M)
• 1 count - Possession of a Controlled
Substance (F)
• 1 count of violation of Tag light
Requirements
• 1 count of violation of brake light
Requirements
• 1 count of driving while unlicensed
• Loretta Michelle Beal of Mississippi was
arrested and charged with the following:
• 1 count - Trafficking of
Methamphetamine (F)
• 1 count - Possession of Marijuana one
ounce or less (M)
• 1 count - Possession of a Controlled
Substance (F)
“This is yet another great example of our depu
ties being proactive and acting upon apparent
equipment violations,” said Dawson County
Sheriff Jeff Johnson. “As taught in criminal inter
diction classes, a criminal may obey the moving
laws but fail to detect a simple defective tag light.
Our deputies are doing a great job of looking
beyond the violation. I am proud of our deputies
and their commitment to removing these danger
ous drugs from our community!”
Katelyn Goodwin, FNP-C
Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
now seeing patients
NGPG Dawsonville
Medical Plaza 400
108 Prominence Court, Ste. 200
Dawsonville, GA 30534
Call or Request
Your Appointment Online:
706-344-6950
ngpg.org/goodwin
^ Northeast Georgia
PHYSICIANS GROUP
