Совет Атланты призывает округ Фултон выделить 200 млн долларов на строительство новой больницы

Atlanta City Council urges Fulton County to commit $200M for new hospital ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The Atlanta City Council Monday approved a resolution requesting the Fulton County Board of Commissioners identify and commit $200 million toward a partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to develop and expand hospital and healthcare infrastructure on Atlanta’s Southside and Westside. “City of Atlanta, we’re putting up over $100 million. Atrium and Morehouse School of Medicine have committed over $400 million. And so, we’re not asking Fulton County to do more than anybody else. We’re asking them to do their part in this,” said Councilmember Antionio Lewis, in an interview with Atlanta News First. What City Council is asking Fulton County to do The resolution asks Fulton County to “identify, allocate and commit” $200 million to support planning, development, construction and expansion of hospital and healthcare infrastructure in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine. The City Council also encourages collaboration among Fulton County, the city, Morehouse School of Medicine, healthcare providers, philanthropic partners and state and federal agencies toward a comprehensive healthcare campus. The measure asks any county funding commitment prioritize: - A full-service hospital serving South and West Atlanta - Emergency and trauma capacity - Women’s and maternal health services - Pediatric and behavioral health services - Community clinics and outpatient facilities - Medical education and physician training programs - Workforce development opportunities for Atlanta residents - Programs aimed at improving outcomes in underserved communities Prior momentum: Project Robin and the city’s Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative Before the resolution passed, Mayor Andre Dickens already tied the idea of a new southwest Atlanta hospital to his broader $5.5 billion Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative, which he framed as an effort to address decades of disinvestment in South and West Atlanta. City documents obtained by Atlanta News First described “Project Robin” as an $800 million hospital concept that would be Atlanta’s only hospital south of I-20, with a proposed 125-bed, Level 2 trauma center at MET Atlanta off Murphy Avenue. City leaders said the city could contribute about $120 million over 10 years. In a May committee meeting, Dickens’ chief of staff, Courtney English, indicated one partner was a “school of medicine south of I-20,” and Councilmember Antonio Lewis later identified the partner as Morehouse School of Medicine. City officials also said Morehouse already held a certificate of need and they hoped paperwork could move forward quickly. New development: Atrium Health filings describe a Morehouse teaching hospital In late June, state filings, acquired by Atlanta News First, revealed Atrium Health’s role in the hospital venture. In the proposal submitted to the Georgia Department of Community Health, Atrium outlined a teaching hospital at 675 Metropolitan Parkway SW with a 24/7 emergency department and potentially Level 2 services. The filing described additional services such as perinatal and neonatal care, diagnostic imaging, surgeries and more. Atrium said the project is intended to help fill the gap left by the 2022 Wellstar closures, citing long travel distances and wait times for everyday healthcare. Plans described in the filings also placed the hospital on a 40-acre campus near the West End MARTA station and about a half-mile from Morehouse School of Medicine, with space for offices, research facilities, housing, academic areas and retail. Residents interviewed for the story said the lack of nearby emergency care can mean long delays — including travel that can stretch to about 30 minutes in traffic to reach Grady — and argued a hospital could bring both healthcare access and job and internship pathways, while easing pressure on Grady. 2023 assessment: Wellstar closures “created a public health emergency” A 2023 assessment prepared through a partnership between Fulton County and Morehouse School of Medicine described a “public health emergency” after Wellstar closed Atlanta Medical Center South in May 2022 and Atlanta Medical Center in November 2022. The report said the shutdowns disrupted access for medically and economically underserved residents and added pressure to remaining hospitals. Among its findings: - Grady Memorial Hospital was operating at 106% inpatient utilization, according to the report. - Emergency department times at major Fulton hospitals were often above benchmarks; the report listed Grady’s average at 375 minutes, compared with the Georgia average at 215 minutes and national average at 188 minutes (as of Jan. 2023 data cited in the study). The same assessment found major differences across Fulton County regions, including a five-year life expectancy gap — 82 years in North Fulton versus 77 years in Central and South Fulton — and said South Fulton residents have no acute-care hospital or ER and may travel around 30 minutes for acute care. What happens next The City Council resolution is a request and does not compel Fulton County to appropriate the money. It directs the municipal clerk to send copies to the Fulton County Commission, county manager, the president and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine, and Atlanta’s mayor. Still, with the county–Morehouse assessment documenting overcrowding and persistent inequities — and with new filings outlining a potential Atrium–Morehouse teaching hospital — councilmembers are pressing Fulton County to put major funding on the table as the region debates how to rebuild hospital capacity in southwest Atlanta. Copyright 2026 WANF. All rights reserved.