About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2020)
Wednesday, January 15,2020 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 5A Photo for Dawson County News 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
