Piedmont Henry Hospital leadership and community officials gathered on Wednesday, February 5, to commemorate the new east tower topping-out ceremony. The east tower will add 96 patient rooms. It represents the largest expansion of the hospital in twenty years.
Piedmont Henry Hospital East Tower Topping-Out
Piedmont Henry Hospital began construction on the east tower in May 2024. Now, nine months later, the hospital held the topping-out ceremony. A topping-out ceremony marks the end of vertical construction on a new building. With the steel structure now in place, construction will turn to interior build-out. The building’s exterior facade will also follow.
“This tower is a community asset” shared Piedmont Henry CEO David Kent. Piedmont Henry Hospital serves about one million people in its service area, remarked hospital COO James Atkins. The hospital operates 24/7 and is a certified Level III Trauma Center. It is staffed by more than 450 physicians and more than 1,600 staff members.
The east tower will open in August 2026. When it opens, the tower will expand the hospital from its existing 259-bed facility to 355 beds. This represents a 37% increase in capacity. The new capacity will enable the hospital to more quickly move patients from the emergency room to a room. This should have the ultimate cause and effect of reducing wait times in the ER.
(Piedmont photo)
In addition, the project is building a new kitchen and dining area, and three additional operating rooms. Next, the new east tower is built with the future in mind. The tower can support two additional floors, or another 56 patient rooms, added on top later. Finally, the plan supports a second future patient tower beside it.
The expansion represents a $212 million dollar investment by Piedmont Healthcare. This is the largest investment by Piedmont Healthcare since the Marcus Tower opened at Piedmont Atlanta in 2020. For more information about Piedmont Henry, visit piedmont.org/henry.
Featured image shows Piedmont Henry Hospital and the under-construction east tower in February 2025. Clayton Carte photo.
