Atlanta leaders plan hospital expansion, urge Fulton County to commit funds

Caption

The City of Atlanta plans to build a new hospital to serve South and Westside residents in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine.

Credit: Amanda Andrews/GPB News

The City of Atlanta is planning to build a new hospital serving South and Westside residents. Atlanta City Council passed a resolution Monday asking Fulton County to commit $200 million to the project. 

The planned full-service hospital is a partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health to expand medical resources in underserved parts of Atlanta. The new facility would include emergency care, maternal and pediatric health services as well as training programs for students. 

Wellstar Atlanta closed in 2022. MSM President Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice said the new hospital will fill resulting gaps in Atlanta healthcare. services.

"This effort is not about replacing or competing against those systems," she said. "It is about complementing them, strengthening regional capacity, and ensuring that underserved communities are no longer left behind."

Atlanta neighborhoods near Morehouse School of Medicine face higher rates of poverty than areas in North Atlanta. Reports from the Atlanta Regional Commission show that the life expectancy in South Atlanta is about 20 years less than neighborhoods a few miles north. 

Councilmember Antonio Lewis said those statistics stay on his mind as someone born in South Atlanta.

"Before I ever went to school, before I ever got a job, before I've ever cast a vote, where I was born had already predicted the limits on how long I was expected to live," he said. "That's why I'm, from Day 1, I've been focused on how we can bring more healthcare access to the people who need it most."

The hospital will anchor a 40-acre mixed-use campus near the Morehouse School of Medicine. The development will include healthcare, education, research and community spaces.