WellStar plans to acquire another Georgia hospital

The Wellstar Health System is looking to add another hospital to its portfolio, continuing the system’s recent expansion efforts.

Wellstar and Stephens County Hospital said Wednesday that they have reached an agreement on a deal. Assuming the deal is finalized, Stephens County Hospital would join Wellstar.

Regulators still must approve the transaction, but Wellstar is expecting to complete the acquisition by the end of 2026.

Stephens County is a 96-bed hospital in Toccoa, a city in northeast Georgia near the border of South Carolina. The hospital opened its doors in 1937.

Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar, recognized the history and service of the hospital.

"For Stephens County Hospital to serve its community so well for nearly a century requires exceptional talent, deep community trust and an unwavering commitment to its mission," Patel said in a statement.

"We look forward to working together to build on the strong foundation already in place while creating new opportunities for the community through expanded access to specialized care, innovative services and the strength of an integrated health system,” he said.

It’s been a very busy month for Wellstar, one of Georgia’s largest health systems. Wellstar completed its acquisition of the Mountain Lakes Medical Center, a critical access hospital in northeast Georgia last month.

Wellstar also opened a new hospital, the Columbia County Medical Center, last month. The six-story medical center includes 100 beds and is in Grovetown, near Augusta. Wellstar now operates 13 hospitals, and Stephens County Hospital would become the system’s 14th hospital.

In announcing the plans to acquire Stephens County Hospital, Wellstar said the deal reflects the system’s strategy of “thoughtfully expanding access to high-quality healthcare across Georgia by investing in strong community hospitals and connecting them to one of the Southeast's leading health systems.”

“It builds on Wellstar's strategic growth across the state, enabling clinical expertise, advanced technology and best practices to be shared across communities while improving access to care closer to home,” Wellstar said in a news release.

Wellstar says the system will provide Stephens County Hospital patients more access to top clinicians, including specialists, and the system also touted its telehealth services.

Wellstar has partnered with the hospital in tele-stroke services.

Stephens County Hospital employs about 500 workers, and it has a medical staff of nearly 200 doctors and advanced practice providers.

Van Loskoski, CEO of Stephens County Hospital, said becoming part of Wellstar helps ensure access to care for its communities in northern Georgia.

"By joining Wellstar, we believe we can build on our strong relationships with patients, families and local physicians, while expanding access to specialized services and investing in the hospital's long-term future, so more people can receive the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” Loskoski said in a statement.

Wellstar also noted Stephens County Hospital has expanded surgical, orthopedic, and cardiovascular services in recent years.

Georgia is seeing a host of planned hospital projects.

Atrium Health and the Morehouse School of Medicine have announced plans to build a teaching hospital in Atlanta. The organizations also intend to use the hospital to anchor a host of other healthcare services in the region.

• Read more: More hospital mergers in first half of 2026, and momentum may continue