Augusta, GA — Doctors Hospital is set to launch a $75 million expansion of the Joseph M. Still Burn Center. The hospital will kick-off the expansion project with a groundbreaking on Tuesday, April 30 at 9:00 a.m. The project which is expected to be completed in Summer 2020 includes 4 major components and is the largest investment in the Doctors Hospital campus since the hospital was built.

"This investment represents a historic step forward for our burn center," said Dr. Fred Mullins, Medical Director of the JMS Burn Center. "This project will consolidate and expand our inpatient burn services under one roof, allowing us to improve efficiency and overall care as our patient population continues to increase."

"This is an exciting time of growth in our region and on our campus," said Doctors Hospital CEO, Doug Welch. "We know this new expansion will help us better care for the burn patients we serve from our community and from across the country."

The Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Doctors Hospital is the largest and most sophisticated treatment center for burns and wounds in the United States. Each year thousands of people from across the country travel to the facility for care and specialized burn care training. Last week, Doctors Hospital was re-verified as an Adult and Pediatric Burn Center by the American Burn Association and the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.

Doctors Hospital VP for Burn Services, Jane Echols, RN, says that the expansion project creates opportunity to improve patients' experience and quality. "The new burn tower will centralize our services to make it easier for patients and their family members to navigate care."

Currently, The Doctors Hospital Burn Center operates 70 acute care beds, which are located in three separate areas of the hospital. Doctors Hospital is expanding its burn center facilities and infrastructure. The project includes 4 major components:

  • Construction of a new 3-story tower
  • New construction/renovation of 102,214 square foot
  • 20 Burn ICU beds
  • 28 medical/surgical beds for care of burn patients
  • Increased surgical capacity
  • Add four new burn operating rooms
  • 15-bay PACU dedicated to burn patients
  • Burn sterile processing
  • Dedicated support space
  • Construction of a new Central Energy Plant
  • Construction of a 6 story parking garage (550 parking spaces)