On the morning of May 6, just before the sun peeked over the North Georgia foothills, Northside Hospital Cherokee embarked on the move of a lifetime — transitioning patients, staff and services from the current hospital, located on Hospital Road in Canton, to the new hospital, not quite 3 miles away off I-575 at Northside Cherokee Boulevard. 
“Since January, each department has been training and running drills for this move, familiarizing themselves with the new space and understanding the logistics that make their care process patient-centered and efficient,” said Billy Hayes, CEO of Northside Hospital Cherokee. “That’s why every detail, no matter how small, has been planned for.”
With an undertaking so grand in scale, Northside leadership prepared a comprehensive “Patient Move Manual” to give staff a clear view of logistical operations before, during and after the patient move. An Incident Command Center at the new facility managed the patient move, supported the opening of the replacement hospital and handled staff questions.
Northside Hospital Cherokee contracted with Metro Ambulance Service to transport patients to the new hospital, using only advanced cardiovascular life support and critical care ambulances for the patient move. The Women’s Center employed heightened security protocols to ensure the safety and security of infants and mothers during the move.
“Without all the hard work and collaboration among our staff and partners, this move would simply not be possible,” Hayes said. “We expect the same spirit of determination and energy to carry through to the new hospital, where we will provide Cherokee and surrounding communities with the exceptional patient care they deserve.”
Submitted by Northside Hospital
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