Atlanta Medical Center’s emergency department closing Oct. 14

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Wellstar Atlanta Medical has announced that it is closing the emergency department on Oct. 14 at 7 a.m. and the hospital will move to total diversion at 7 a.m. Oct. 3.

This means that beginning Oct. 3, the hospital will ask their EMS partners to transport patients to other area hospitals before they come to AMC. If other hospitals are unable to accept a patient, AMC will accept them until Oct. 14.

The rest of the medical center will still close on Nov. 1.

Atlanta Medical Center closing in downtown Atlanta | What does it mean?

“It’s sad, it’s going to be big loss here, ” said Atlanta Resident, Phyllis Irvin. “All I can do is pray that there are places for them to go.”

After the medical center closes, other hospitals in the area will have to absorb the current patients of Atlanta Medical Center.

Wellstar says they “feel confident” that Atlanta patients will continue to have access to excellent emergency services “less than two miles: from the AMC campus at Grady Memorial Hospital, which has a Level 1 trauma care, and at Emory Midtown.

Earlier in September, Grady was awarded $130 million in state-allocated funds to increase bed capacity.

Other hospitals expected to treat former AMC patients include Emory University Hospital, Piedmont and Emory Decatur, all of which are within a 7-mile radius, according to Wellstar.

State and city officials have expressed their concern over the closure of the medical center that services downtown Atlanta.

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens signed an executive order on Monday aimed at halting any redevelopment of the site.

His office issued a statement Thursday following AMC’s announcement to close their Emergency Department early.

The Mayor and his senior leadership tirelessly continue to coordinate with health care providers and stakeholders in the region to prepare for the impact of Wellstar’s unusually abrupt closure of one of Atlanta’s most important medical centers. While we are disappointed in the manner in which they have made these announcements to the Atlanta community—decisions that greatly impact our communities’ access to healthcare options and the burdens they create on the existing system—the Administration continues to explore all options to minimize the impact of Wellstar’s short-sighted decisions.

Grady Memorial Hospital has issued the following statement:

Grady is aware of Wellstar’s decision to cease operation of the emergency department at Atlanta Medical Center on October 14, two weeks before the hospital’s November closure. We have new procedures and staffing models in place to handle the anticipated increase in patients, which will be 2500 more a month through our ER alone.

Grady’s staff is prepared to provide quality care to anyone who seeks treatment at our hospital. We remain committed to the health and well-being of the people of Atlanta.

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