Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, which closed in October 2020, has received funding to reopen as a critical access hospital, NBC and ABC affiliate WALB reported May 2.
Renovations for the hospital will take about a year and a half, Steve Whatley, chairman of the Randolph County (Ga.) Hospital Authority, told the news outlet. The exact timeline for reopening has not yet been finalized, county officials told Becker’s.
The 25-bed critical access hospital closed due to financial pressures during the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2024, it received $11.8 million in federal funding secured by Sen. Jon Ossoff to support reopening efforts.
“Our plans were to turn it into a Rural Emergency Hospital and that is still our goal,” Mr. Whatley said. “The Rural Emergency Hospital will have a 24-hour emergency room and outpatient care and no inpatient beds.”
Mr. Whatley also told WALB he hopes to prioritize former employees and Randolph County residents for future job opportunities.
