Many people like where they work, and then there’s Jessica Knight, who takes “like” to a whole new level.

“It is Disneyland,” said Knight of Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton, where she is a pulmonary rehabilitation therapist. “I love it.”

So, it’s safe to say it’s been a good first year for Knight at the hospital, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary Friday.

It’s also been a busy first year for employees throughout the hospital, which is off Friendship Road/Ga. 347 near Old Winder Highway/Ga. 211, in South Hall County.

More than 30,000 patients were treated in the emergency department, or 82 per day. Also, more than 4,100 patients stayed in one of the 100-bed hospital’s inpatient units, and more than 3,200 surgeries were performed, according to the hospital.

Since April 1, doctors there have performed more than 26,000 cardiovascular tests and procedures.

Some other key statistics: 165,000 customers have been served at the hospital’s dining area, Café 1400; 2,500 patients have gotten radiation therapy treatments; and 33,300 imaging procedures have been performed.

“We’re honored to provide advanced medical and surgical services, as well as emergency services, for the communities surrounding greater Braselton during the past year,” hospital president Anthony Williamson said.

“The volume of patients utilizing our new facility has surpassed our initial projections, proving there was a real need for health care services in this community.”

The hospital, which is close to Gwinnett, Jackson and Barrow counties, as well as Interstate 85, also is closer to home for many employees.

One of those is Knight.

“I was blessed to have this position come open,” she said. “It’s 10 minutes from my door at home.”

Registered nurse Katelyn Gillespie of Jefferson went through orientation at NGMC Gainesville before starting at Braselton. She’s been at the hospital since it opened.

“I knew that it was going to be a state-of-the-art facility, and I heard wonderful things about the relationships between the nurses, physicians and patients and how it was very collaborative care,” she said.

The hospital also has had 205 volunteers, such as Jackie Frazier, providing 16,000 hours of service.

Frazier, working Thursday in the hospital gift shop, particularly praised the Braselton hospital’s atmosphere. The building’s interior and exterior designs played a big role in the hospital’s construction.

“You walk in and there’s such a peaceful calm that comes over you,” she said. “I can leave my house frazzled and walk in here and it’s just tranquil — I love it.”

Other changes are on the horizon this year.

The hospital is hoping to open a $16 million, 10-room obstetrics unit in October.

“I think it’ll change the look and feel of the hospital,” Williamson has said. “Delivering babies ... is always a big focus of most hospitals of this size. ... It’s a community need. It’s a basic service, if you will.”

The hospital has been approved for a level 2 neonatal intensive care unit, which would care for infants born at 32 weeks or later “who are moderately ill with problems expected to resolve rapidly.”

Also, the new unit could provide care for infants recovering after intensive care.