South Fulton hospital approved by county leaders

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County leaders have unanimously approved a new hospital in South Fulton, a move aimed at addressing a critical shortage of medical care in the area.

What we know:

The full-service hospital is estimated to cost $1 billion to build and will feature between 150 and 200 beds.

Grady anticipates that the hospital will serve as a Level 3 verified trauma center. This means it will be equipped to assess, resuscitate, perform emergency surgery, and stabilize patients with serious injuries. The most complex cases would then be transferred to higher-level trauma centers when necessary.

The project is a three-way partnership where Fulton County, Grady Health Systems, and the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority will each pay one-third of the cost. To cover its share of the funding, Fulton County plans to issue bonds, while the Hospital Authority will utilize private donations.

Residents won't have to wait until the full hospital is complete for some relief. Later this year, a separate, free-standing emergency room is expected to open in Union City to provide more immediate medical assistance. Following that, a medical office building is scheduled to open in 2028. The entire hospital project is expected to be fully operational in either 2031 or 2032.

Local perspective:

The southside of the county has faced a growing healthcare crisis since WellStar closed the Atlanta Medical Center and its facility in East Point. These closures left a massive gap in coverage, leading officials and residents to label the area a "healthcare desert."

What we don't know:

A groundbreaking date has not been set.