Today Governor Brian P. Kemp joined Kevin Brown, President and CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, to announce a partnership to provide additional hospital bed surge capacity to treat COVID-19 patients in Georgia at the Marcus Tower of the Piedmont Atlanta campus.

"I'm very grateful to Kevin Brown and the entire Piedmont Healthcare team for their willingness to partner with the state of Georgia and provide this critical resource to patients and surrounding hospitals," said Governor Kemp. "These hospital beds will provide additional surge capacity for healthcare facilities in metro-Atlanta and ensure COVID-19 patients receive the essential care they need."

The partnership includes initial usage of 62 beds, with the capability to scale up based on demand.

“Our mission as a nonprofit healthcare system is to serve patients in our communities and the new Marcus Tower will incorporate the latest technology and larger patient rooms to provide for enhanced care, among numerous other benefits,” said Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown. “Opening the tower early will help to meet the needs of our communities – and all Georgians – and provide the highest quality of care possible.”

The state will leverage existing medical staffing contracts to provide necessary personnel to Piedmont Atlanta throughout the usage of the facility. This facility is expected to be fully operational within the next week.

Prior to today's announcement, Governor Kemp joined Piedmont Healthcare staff for a tour of the Marcus Tower.