WHAT: Augusta University and health system leaders will celebrate the purchase of an 82-acre parcel in Grovetown where AU Medical Center will build Columbia County’s first hospital.

WHEN: 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24

WHERE: Exit 190 off I-20 in Grovetown, 5001 Gateway Blvd. adjacent to Quest Church

BACKGROUND: In 2014, AU Medical Center was issued a Certificate of Need to build a 100-bed hospital in Columbia County by the Georgia Department of Community Health. The hospital, with its Level II trauma center, represents a $150 million investment in Columbia County. Plans for the two-story, 260,000-square-foot design include an 18-bed emergency department; six operating rooms, with pre- and post-anesthesia care units; and 24 dedicated intensive care and 76 medical-surgical rooms with universal beds for the bulk of the inpatient care.