St. Mary’s Lake Oconee breaks ground for $45.6-million Good Samaritan Pavilion

Leaders from St. Mary’s Health Care System and the community it serves broke ground Monday for the St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Pavilion, a $45.6-million, 3-story addition to the hospital that will expand access to high-quality primary and specialty care in the greater Greene County and Lake Oconee area.

“This Pavilion is more than a building. It’s an expansion of our healing ministry to provide vitally needed, whole-person care for Greene County and the Lake Country region,” said Stonish Pierce, President and CEO of Trinity Health Georgia, in remarks to a standing-room-only audience that overflowed the giant tent set up beside the hospital.

“We often hear anecdotally that the clinical care and service delivery at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital is second to none, ‘But I wish they could do more!’” he said. “Well, investing in the Pavilion is our first step in ‘doing more’ and delivering on our long-term desire to best serve this community.”

Rendering of new Pavilion

Moments before, in her welcoming comments, St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital Director of Administrative Operations Bria Brown touched on a similar theme: “This moment is about much more than bricks, steel, and concrete. It is about people,” she said. “It is about ensuring that families have access to exceptional care close to home. It is about creating spaces where healing begins, where lives are saved, and where compassionate caregivers can continue their mission of serving others with excellence.”

Russell Dawson, Chair of St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Foundation, emphasized how important the hospital is to the community, at one point asking everyone who had received care at St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital to raise their hand. Nearly everyone did.

“What would it be like here if this hospital wasn’t here?” he asked. “I couldn’t imagine it.” He went on to note that St. Mary’s and its parent ministry, Trinity Health, are making a $35.6 million investment in the health of the community.

“This is a remarkable investment,” he said. “They are looking for our community to come alongside with a $10 million investment. Every gift helps ensure that people throughout Greene County and the Lake Oconee region can receive exceptional care close to home for years to come.”