It’s been one year since the last patients left Wellstar Health System’s Atlanta Medical Center. No plans are in place to build a new healthcare facility in its place, leaving Grady Memorial Hospital and clinics in the region operating on stretched resources, Becker’s and The Atlanta Journal Constitution report.
A moratorium restricting new development at AMC’s former site is currently in place, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has indicated he will renew the development ban for another six months, which prevents Wellstar from selling or redeveloping the land.
Meanwhile, Grady — the only level 1 trauma center in the city of Atlanta — continues to see an influx of patients who would normally have gone to AMC. Mercy Care, an outpatient clinic that serves homeless patients, has also seen a jump in patient visits over the past year, according to the report. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s report also touched on a perhaps less discussed consequence of AMC’s closure: Hundreds of physicians who worked at practices near the hospital have either moved, retired or have shut down their practices. Read more.
