The 20,000-square-foot facility will bring
emergency care to communities south of I-20
ATLANTA, April 17,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its ongoing mission
to meet the growing need for emergency services in metro
Atlanta, Grady Health System will
build a freestanding emergency department in south Fulton County. This freestanding emergency
department, built in partnership with Fulton County, will be open 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, and fully staffed by board-certified physicians,
nurses, and other clinicians.
Grady's freestanding emergency
department will be south of I-20 in Union
City. The community in south Fulton County continues to experience an
increased demand for access to health care following the closure of
Wellstar's Atlanta Medical Center South and Atlanta Medical Center.
In 2023, Grady treated nearly
138,000 patients in its emergency department at its main campus in
downtown Atlanta.
"As metro Atlanta's population
grows, so does the need for medical care, specifically emergency
care in South Fulton," said John
Haupert, Grady's president
and CEO. "The freestanding emergency department will allow us to
serve this community by bringing exceptional care to patients right
where they live. The residents in this area deserve the same level
of quality care available in other areas, and Grady is proud to take this major step toward
fulfilling that need."
The 20,000-square-foot emergency department will have 16 bays
and provide care to adult and pediatric patients who need emergency
care for serious injuries or life-threatening conditions. The
facility will include imaging and laboratory services, a pharmacy,
and patient and staff support areas. It will also feature a
dedicated ambulance entrance for patients brought in by emergency
medical services. A helipad will be on-site for flight transfers to
area hospitals.
Currently, residents in South Fulton must travel up to 40
minutes to receive emergency care. The freestanding emergency
department is Grady's latest
investment in meeting the needs of this community. A new
Grady outpatient center opened on
Cascade Road in July 2023. Another
will open this summer at Lee + White, a mixed-use development in
Atlanta's West End. Both locations
are south of I-20.
Funding for the freestanding emergency department is a
combination of financial support from Fulton County and federal funding secured by
Grady to increase access to health
care.
"Everyone in Fulton County
deserves access to health care, and no one should die early because
of their ZIP code. We are pleased to see Grady is taking action to address the
healthcare desert in South Fulton," said Chairman Robb Pitts, Fulton
County Board of Commissioners. "We look forward to seeing
this facility get started so it can begin serving the community in
the near future."
Pending certificate of need approval, construction on the
freestanding emergency department is expected to begin in the fall
of 2024, with a projected opening date in 2026.
For a complete list of Grady's
locations, visit https://www.gradyhealth.org/locations/.
About Grady Health System
Grady Health System is one
of the largest safety net health systems in the United States. Grady consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial
Hospital, seven neighborhood health centers, Crestview Health &
Rehabilitation Center, Correll
Pavilion, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding, which is operated
as a Children's affiliate.
With its nationally acclaimed emergency medical services,
Grady is Atlanta's only Level I trauma center and
serves as the 911 ambulance provider for the city of Atlanta. Grady's Walter L. Ingram Burn Center is the
leading burn center in North
Georgia. And the Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is a
Joint Commission designated Advanced Comprehensive Stroke
Center.
Other key services/distinctions include Grady's Regional Perinatal Center with its
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Georgia's first Cancer Center for Excellence,
The Avon Comprehensive Breast Center, the Georgia Comprehensive
Sickle Cell Center, and the Ponce de Leon Center - one of the top
HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. Grady is one of an elite group of hospitals to
earn the Baby-Friendly USA
international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Designated birth
facility. For more information, visit
http://www.gradyhealth.org/.
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SOURCE Grady Health System