Join us for a Fascinating Tour of Battey State Hospital Site with Missy Kendrick, EDFP, IOM
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2023
Time: 3:00 PM Tour; Dinner will follow at Sam’s Burger Deli
Where: Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital Site, 887 Charlton Street, NW, Rome, GA 30165 (Turn west off of N. Division Street. We will meet at the Charlton Street gate.)
PDH: PDH’s will be awarded.
Discover the rich history and transformation of the Battey State Hospital Site in Rome, Georgia, guided by none other than Missy Kendrick, President/CEO of the Rome-Floyd County Development Authority.
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The historic Battey State Hospital, was first established in 1943 as a temporary Army General Hospital to deal with the large number of wounded soldiers. It was named after Dr. Robert Battey, a physician who built a successful practice and was key in advancing medical treatment in Rome Georgia. However, in 1946, the state negotiated and took over the hospital from the federal government.
Georgia turned the facility into a 2000 bed tuberculosis sanitorium. During this period, the state was experiencing a surge of TB cases. Locally around the hospital, there had been 2,534 newly reported cases. The site was renamed to Battey State Hospital.
By 1967, the state looked at the site for more health services. Then in 1971 construction had been started on a mental health unit. That same year, mentally disabled residents at Gracewood State School and Hospital were transferred to Battey.
In 1973 Battey was renamed Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital at Rome. However, the state was looking to move more services onto the property. Afterward, in 1975, the first psychiatric and alcohol and drug abuse patients were admitted.
As the TB crisis abated, the tuberculosis grew smaller and in the 1990s the unit closed. Each year afterward saw less people being admitted causing the remaining patients being moved into more local and private settings. Finally in 2011 the hospital closed.
The former hospital sits on 180 acres of land, which contains 145 buildings and a whopping 17 miles of corridor. There are also 30 staff homes on the grounds, plus accommodations for nursing staff and other personnel
Don\’t miss this unique opportunity to explore the history and evolution of Battey State Hospital with a knowledgeable guide.