Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center (formerly WellStar Kennestone Hospital) is a major tertiary-care hospital located in Marietta, Georgia, serving most of northern and central Cobb County, Georgia, as well as adjacent counties.
Kennestone Hospital opened in June 1950 as a 105-bed-facility. It was named after the land which it was built upon, where both Kennesaw Mountain and Stone Mountain were visible. In 1959, the hospital's capacity increased to 300 beds with the opening of the south wing. The hospital has since grown to more than 630 beds and includes several critical care units. On June 22, 1988, the nation's first laparoscopicgall bladder removal took place at Kennestone.
In 1993, Kennestone Hospital merged with five other facilities to become Northwest Georgia Health System. The other hospitals were: Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Windy Hill. In 1998, Northwest became WellStar Health System. The health system was rebranded in 2022 as Wellstar Health System.
In early 2013, Wellstar Kennestone Hospital was renamed Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center.[1]
In 2020, Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center opened a 200+ bed Emergency Department connected by a pedestrian bridge to the main hospital. With its 166 beds, the new 266,000 square foot Emergency Department became the largest emergency department in Georgia and one of the largest in the United States. The emergency department cares for over 130,000 patients annually and is one of the nation's busiest emergency departments. It is equipped with 4 dedicated CT scanners, a dedicated MRI, and a 12-bed resuscitation area for stabilization of trauma, stroke, cardiac, and other critical patients.
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is currently recognized as an American College of Surgeons verified Level I Trauma Center, a Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke and Comprehensive Cardiac Center, and State of Georgia recognized Level I Cardiac Center.
The hospital is home to graduate medical education programs in family medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, surgery, and palliative care.
Wrestling star Scott Hall died at this hospital on March 14, 2022.
