Polk County residents are just a little more than a year away from a new medical center opening its doors, officials announced Friday.

The state’s Department of Community Health has issued a Certificate of Need for a hospital that will replace the existing Polk Medical Center. 

The issuance of a CON is a necessary step under state law before the construction of a new hospital can occur, authorities said. Construction of the new facility would cost slightly less than $40 million. He could not pinpoint Friday exactly where the funds will come from. 

The new 73,000-square-foot hospital will sit on U.S. 278, east of its intersection with Kelly Road in Cedartown, according to a press release.

The next steps in the construction include completing a design for the facility, which should be done by mid-summer. Construction should take a year to 18 months.

The existing Polk Medical Center was built in 1944 and has had two modifications since then: the addition of the west wing in the ’80s and the emergency department in the ’90s. 

FMC took over management of Polk Medical in April 2012.