Charlotte, N.C.-based Atrium Health has filed a letter of determination to build its first hospital in metropolitan Atlanta, partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine to develop a short-stay acute care general teaching hospital in Fulton County, Ga.
The filing, submitted June 18, marks the first in a series of regulatory steps required before construction can begin.
Five things to know:
1. The short-stay, acute care hospital would serve as the anchor of a 40-acre, multi-phase mixed-use campus near Morehouse School of Medicine’s main campus. It would initially open with 50 beds and serve as a teaching hospital affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine.
2. The hospital aims to address care gaps created by two WellStar Health System closures: WellStar AMC South, which shut down in May 2022, and WellStar Atlanta Medical Center, which closed November 1, 2022. Under the terms of the filing, the new facility cannot exceed 50% of the 762 short-stay beds WellStar Atlanta Medical Center held at the time of its closure, capping the hospital at roughly 381 beds.
“Through this new hospital, we will jointly help restore critical healthcare services and address longstanding gaps in access to communities who have suffered far too long from losing two safety net hospitals,” Atrium Health said in a statement provided to Becker’s.
3. Under an academic affiliation agreement between the two organizations, the hospital would serve as a teaching hospital for Morehouse School of Medicine students and integrate medical education and clinical research with community care. Morehouse School of Medicine, recently recognized as the top U.S. medical school for its social mission, will continue its existing partnership with Atlanta-based Grady Health System.
4. Atrium Health is part of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health, which serves more than 6 million patients across six states through 69 hospitals and more than 1,000 care sites. In Georgia, Atrium also operates Atrium Health Navicent and Atrium Health Floyd.
5. The project reflects a broader push to restore safety-net hospital capacity in urban markets where closures have left lasting access gaps. “Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health look forward to working with city and county officials, and civic leaders to bring this project to life and help bring a new standard of care for Atlanta and Fulton County residents,” the organizations said in a statement.
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