Wellstar Health System has proposed building a 230-bed hospital in an affluent area near Acworth, saying it would address the growing need for hospital beds in the area. The facility would sit in Cobb County, where Wellstar already owns all the hospitals, including its flagship Wellstar Kennestone in Marietta.

It’s just a proposal so far. To build, Wellstar will have to get the state’s approval that a hospital is needed in that area, called a “Certificate of Need.” Wellstar will also have to survive any challenges that could come from the other hospital systems in the area who don’t want the competition and say it’s not necessary.

“Wellstar is improving access to care, and this new hospital is the latest in a series of projects that do just that,” said Candice L. Saunders, president and

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