Athens Regional Health System is expanding its presence in Oconee County by more than 40,000 square-feet as the anchor tenant in the new 142,000-square- foot Oconee Centre Three Sixteen health park.

This will be the first health park in Northeast Georgia — “an evolutionary concept in outpatient health services which allows us to provide hospital quality services in one convenient location,” said Athens Regional President and CEO, Dr. Charles Peck. “The health park assembles one-stop shopping and easy access for the consumers most frequent health care needs.”

The health park was created by Summit Healthcare Group, a North Carolina-based real estate development firm who specializes in medical office projects.

Athens Regional plans to lease approximately 44,000 sq. ft. of the multi-building complex to include an urgent care center, outpatient laboratory services, outpatient rehabilitation, a sleep laboratory, the Mind Body Institute, physician offices and a state-of-the-art Breast Health Center featuring Tomosynthesis, the most advanced 3-D breast imaging available. There will also be a retail pharmacy and a café.

“Our team is very excited about this project and we feel like it’s a great fit for Athens Regional’s vision for growth. Our goal is to create a destination that people will enjoy visiting for their healthcare — a place that is both aesthetically pleasing and conveniently located,” said Tommy Catone, Principal with Summit Healthcare Group. “We needed a top notch tenant to help us create a superior and innovative environment and this facility will be designed especially for one of Georgia’s best, Athens Regional.”

“We feel confident that with Athens Regional, we will be able to create one of the finest healthcare destinations in the state and it will become a tremendous asset for the community,” said Joel Harber, President of Reynolds Capital, Inc., a local real estate brokerage and development firm responsible for the project’s leasing and strategic planning. “Athens Regional has done a terrific job of recognizing the need for this concept and the convenience that these integrated services will provide to residents in the area.”

Peck summarized the organization’s new lease in Oconee as, “a great opportunity to take our services to our patients instead of the other way around. Athens Regional is committed to the health and wellness of the people in this region. Offering much-needed, traditional health services in non-traditional ways, with innovative technology in your own backyard - That is how we prove and improve our on-going commitment to remain the best.”

“We’re particularly excited to put a Breast Health Center in this facility for the care and convenience of our patients,” said Connie Phelps, RN, BSN, program manager at the Breast Health Center. “We are the area experts in breast health. It’s so important that we expand our services expertise in order to share the very best care, close to where people live.”

The Athens Regional Breast Health Center has full accreditation from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers and the American College of Radiology as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. It is the only breast center in northeast Georgia to hold these two honors.

The health park is located at the corner of Jennings Mill Road and Virgil Langford Road off of GA Highway 316.