Lisa Medellin and Todd Greene saw it coming. The two local leaders served on Atlanta Medical Center’s regional health board and sounded alarms about the potentially devastating consequences that would come if Wellstar Health System closed or failed to revitalize hospitals in predominantly Black areas. Last month, local lawmakers filed a trio of federal complaints […]
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Civil Rights Complaint Alleges Wellstar Neglected Black Communities
A group of local lawmakers is alleging that Wellstar Health System discriminated against its Black patients when the nonprofit hospital system closed two hospitals in 2022. On Wednesday, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners adopted a resolution sponsored by Chairman Robb Pitts calling for the county attorney to file a complaint with the Department of […]
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AMC Closed, but You Have Some Options. We Explain.
Residents in Atlanta and the metro area are still reeling from Wellstar Health System’s stunning decision to close Atlanta Medical Center. After the hospital closed its doors on Nov. 1, the city and state lost one of its few trauma units, an active labor and delivery unit, emergency services, and even primary care doctors. Nearby […]
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Life After AMC’s Closure: Four Stories About Resilience, Challenges, and Hope
People from all walks of life are grieving the loss of Atlanta Medical Center, formerly known as Georgia Baptist. Wellstar Health System closed the nearly 500-bed hospital on Nov. 1, leaving a large void in Old Fourth Ward for people who either worked or were patients at the hospital. Capital B Atlanta spoke with four […]
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More Wellstar Closures Bring Dwindling Health Care Options
Jackie Anderson sat in the waiting room at Wellstar Family Practice on Cleveland Avenue, frustrated that her primary care office would be closing. Just next door was the old hospital, Atlanta Medical Center South, where she worked for more than 30 years. When Wellstar Health System closed AMC South’s emergency department in May, Anderson lost […]
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Another Hospital Closure Means Another Maternity Ward Closes, Too
When Aleah Walker had her baby in late January 2014, she wanted to give birth at Atlanta Medical Center. Walker, a Powder Springs resident at the time, wanted a water birth and was willing to drive over 20 miles to Atlanta Medical Center because it’s one of the few hospitals in the metro area where […]
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Second Wellstar Closure Creates Health Care Void for More Black Atlantans
In a strongly worded letter on Friday, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens called for “immediate answers” from Wellstar Health System officials to address the “crisis” caused by the planned shutdown of a Level 1 trauma center in the city — Wellstar’s second such closure this year. Dickens said city leaders are scrambling to gather resources for […]
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‘This Doesn’t Make Sense’: Black Residents Southwest of the City Left Without an ER
When Stacey Hopkins moved from Atlanta to East Point in March 2021, the 59-year-old didn’t think she would be without a neighborhood hospital. Earlier this month, Wellstar announced that Atlanta Medical Center South would transition into a 24-hour urgent care facility starting May 6. The reason, Wellstar said, is there wasn’t enough business. The closure […]