ATLANTA — Wellstar announced Thursday that it will be closing the Atlanta Medical Center’s emergency department in two weeks, ahead of the hospital’s November closure.

The AMC emergency department will close Oct. 14 at 7 a.m. The hospital will move to total diversion starting Oct. 3 at 7 a.m.

Atlanta Medical Center is set to close on Nov. 1. Grady Memorial, Emory University and Piedmont hospitals will now have to absorb the 200 patients currently in AMC’s hospital beds.

“Safely winding down services at the AMC Emergency Department (ED) is a critical part of this effort, as it helps reduce inpatient volume at the hospital and minimizes the number of patients who may need to transfer out of AMC on Nov. 1,” Wellstar wrote in a release. “We will still accept patients via EMS if needed through October 14 at 7 a.m., but request that they choose other providers first when possible. This will allow us to ensure we have the capacity, staffing, and capability to treat all those coming to AMC for care for the duration of their care leading up to the hospital’s closure.”

Wellstar’s corporate office previously announced it was closing AMC due to a number of reasons, including a decrease in revenue, increase in costs for staff and supplies, and the pandemic.

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