FULTON COUNTY, GA — Fulton County commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with a $900 million hospital that is aimed at addressing a metro Atlanta city’s recognized as a “healthcare desert.”
The hospital in southern Fulton County would have 150 to 200 beds near an existing standalone emergency room currently under construction.
Metro Atlanta currently has only two Level 1 trauma centers including Grady Memorial Hospital in downtown Atlanta and WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta.
While not planned as a teaching facility, commissioners voted to explore including Morehouse and Emory medical students in the project, which is expected to open in 2031.
“The appearance of our students here today was in support of this hospital. And to say that we believe that it should be an opportunity for us,” said Morehouse Medical School President Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice.
“This definitely is a historic day,” said Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis, noting it comes after more than 60 years without such a development.
“I’m looking here at the impact that it is going to have in the community to reduce financial barriers, the economic development, and 2,000 jobs,” said Commissioner Bridget Thorn.
Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington Jr. added that medical options decrease the farther south you go from Atlanta and expressed gratitude for Grady’s funding support for the three-phase project.