Grady Health System to build $38 million emergency department in metro Atlanta

Grady Health System plans to address growing health care needs in metro Atlanta's Southside with a new emergency department.

Grady will build a freestanding emergency department in South Fulton County, the hospital announced. It's targeting a site south of Interstate 20 in Union City for the 20,000-square-foot facility.

Grady expects construction of the facility to cost $38 million, Director of Public Relations Danielle Hackett told Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Fulton County will contribute $19 million in funding, Hackett said, and the remaining $19 million will come from federal funds secured by Grady to increase access to health care.

“As metro Atlanta’s population grows, so does the need for medical care, specifically emergency care in South Fulton,” said John Haupert, Grady’s president and CEO, in a prepared statement. “The residents in this area deserve the same level of quality care available in other areas.”

Grady is citing the closures of Wellstar Health System's Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point and Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward as reasons the new emergency department is needed.

South Fulton residents must travel up to 40 minutes to receive emergency care, according to a news release.

In 2023, Grady treated nearly 138,000 patients in its emergency department at its main campus in Downtown Atlanta, according to the hospital. Grady grew its intensive care capacity by 40% to meet the increased needs created by Wellstar’s closures, the Chronicle reported in December.

“Everyone in Fulton County deserves access to health care, and no one should die early because of their ZIP code," said Robb Pitts, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman, in a prepared statement.

Plans for the 24-hour facility include 16 bays, imaging and laboratory services, a pharmacy, and patient and staff support areas. A dedicated ambulance entrance for patients brought in by emergency medical services and a helipad for flight transfers to area hospitals are part of the plans.

Grady expects to begin construction on the freestanding emergency department this fall, pending certificate of need approval. It expects the emergency department to open in 2026.