LEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) — After more than a decade of legal battles, Lee County is moving forward with plans to break ground on a new medical center in early 2027. But the president and CEO of Phoebe Health is raising questions about whether the project can succeed.

Phoebe Health President and CEO Scott Steiner said the county has held a certificate of need exception to build a hospital for 10 years.

“Lee County or the developers have had a certificate of need exception to build a hospital, so really they’ve had the ability to build a hospital for 10 years,” he said. “I’ve been here for almost eight years, and I’ve heard similar stories for the last eight years, and whether they do or whether they’re ready to, I’m not sure.”

When asked whether a new hospital could sustain operations amid ongoing doctor and nurse shortages across Georgia and the nation, Steiner said the challenge would be significant.

“They’re going to need to have an emergency room—right—to run an acute care hospital,” he said. “You need to run an emergency room 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so you need emergency-trained, board-certified emergency room physicians, advanced practice practitioners. You’re going to need surgeons, anesthesiologists and then of course, all the other teams that go with it.”

Steiner said staffing pressures are not unique to a potential Lee County facility.

“I think it’s going to be difficult. It’s difficult for us. It’s difficult for Piedmont. It’s difficult for Wellstar. It’s difficult for Tifton. It’s going to be difficult for them. That’s just healthcare. It’s a challenge,” he said.

Steiner also addressed claims from some Lee County residents that Phoebe has worked to block their access to local health care.

“I’ve heard that. Usually people that are speaking of it don’t have any proof of it,” he said. “I can tell you the eight years that I’ve been here, we have not once blocked any access.”

Steiner said the hospital holds an active certificate to build and suggested other factors have contributed to delays.

“The sound bite is a lot easier when it sounds like Phoebe’s trying to block us versus maybe really what the truth is,” he said. “We won’t block it if that’s what the people of Lee County want and they’re willing to financially back that hospital and ensure that it’s there. We honor that just as we would anyone else.”

Watch the full interview below:

Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? Let us know. Please include the article’s headline in your message.

To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and X. For more south Georgia news, download the WALB News app and add WALB as a preferred source on Google.

Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.