• Official press release from Governor Nathan Deal

A medical and health care company announces plans to open a plant in east Georgia that would bring 1,800 jobs to the state.

Gov. Nathan Deal, in an official press release, says that Baxter International is going to build a big production center near the town of Social Circle. Baxter is based in Illinois and makes vaccines and medical devices.

The plant will be located in Stanton Springs, a mixed-use development along I-20 near the borders of Newton, Walton and Morgan Counties. It is 40 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Baxter will spend $800 million to build and equip the plant that will make blood-related products.

The median salary for the 1,800 new jobs is $60,000 a year, Channel 2 Action News reports.

The official announcement came around 7 a.m. The Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton counties met early Thursday to sign off on the deal.

Baxter has production sites in 27 countries and more than 48,000 employees. Sixty percent of Baxter’s revenue is generated outside the U.S., according the company’s website and annual earnings report.

This is the second big jobs score for that part of Georgia this year. In February, heavy equipment maker Caterpillar announced a plant in Athens that is expected to bring at least 1,400 jobs to the area.

Toyota Industries and children’s apparel maker Carter’s Inc. are among other major firms to announce new facilities in the state.