The building of a new cancer treatment hospital in Newnan has generated talk of new jobs in a time of economic uncertainty.

A controversial 2008 bill in the Georgia General Assembly created a loophole in the state’s certificate-of-need law, paving the way for the Cancer Treatment Centers of America’s new facility in Newnan. The legislation passed after CTCA, facing opposition from local business and hospital leaders, promised that most patients would come from outside Georgia.

The facility is expected to open next year, and to bring 500 hospital jobs.

The hospital’s CEO, Kane Dawson, in a new GHN Commentary piece, talks about building a medical destination in Newnan.

“By law, 65 percent of the patients we serve must originate from outside Georgia’s borders, creating a sense of medical tourism,’’ he writes. “Patients will travel to CTCA for our unique model of care, helping build greater Atlanta’s reputation as a destination health care hub.”

Here’s a link to Dawson’s Commentary.

Georgia Health News welcomes Commentary submissions. If you would like to propose a Commentary piece for Georgia Health News, please e-mail Andy Miller, editor of GHN, at  amiller@georgiahealthnews.com