CONYERS, Ga. — Piedmont Healthcare celebrated its eastward expansion Monday with the ribbon-cutting of its newest hospital.

Rockdale Medical Center is now Piedmont Rockdale Hospital.

Atlanta-based Piedmont Healthcare purchased the Conyers hospital from LifePoint Health, making the previous Rockdale Medical Center the eighth hospital in the Piedmont family.

“This is an exciting day for us, and this is an historic day for us,” Rick Simons, the chairman of the Piedmont Rockdale board of trustees, said.

Simons, who has been on the board for 16 years, said LifePoint was a crucial partner for Rockdale’s hospital for many years. The Tennessee-based company added a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit and catheterization lab.

“We are grateful for what they did, but we’re at that point where we need to go to the next level,” Simons said.

Enter Piedmont, which has a medical staff of more than 2,200 in the Atlanta area.

“It’s a day that a lot of us were excited about,” Simons said.

New CEO Richard Tanzella said he’s seen enthusiasm from the staff, which he believes will translate well to the community Piedmont Rockdale serves.

“I think it’s really going to be great for y’all,” he said.

Kevin Brown, the CEO of Piedmont Healthcare, promised bright days ahead.

“We’ve just done incredible things for the communities that we’re serving,” he said.

The group of hospitals includes Piedmont Newton Hospital in Covington after Piedmont signed a long-term lease of assets with the Newton County Hospital Authority in 2015. Sunday marked the second anniversary of Piedmont’s control of the 97-bed Covington hospital, and one year since Piedmont took charge of Athens Regional Medical Center.

Piedmont also has hospitals in Atlanta, Fayetteville, Stockbridge, Jasper and Newnan.