Morehouse, Atrium Health to open new teaching hospital in Southwest Atlanta

Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health have received approval to open a new teaching hospital at 675 Metropolitan Parkway SW, which will include a network of primary, urgent, and specialty care.

According to a press release from the City of Atlanta, Atrium Health is committing more than $700 million in capital and clinical investment to bring a Level III trauma center to Southwest Atlanta.

The new hospital will open with 50 beds with the ability to expand to more than 700 over time as community needs grow. It will deliver comprehensive acute-care, including around-the-clock emergency and Level III trauma care, obstetrics and a neonatal intensive care unit, adult critical care, advanced imaging, cardiac catheterization, interventional radiology and endoscopy.

Plans for the broader campus include medical offices, research and additional development that can support both healthcare and economic activity in the surrounding corridor, according to the press release.

The hospital is intended to function as the clinical anchor of a much larger network — connecting patients with primary care, specialists, diagnostics, urgent care, hospital services and academic medicine across a coordinated system.

Mayor Andre Dickens said in a statement that since Atlanta Medical Center and Atlanta Medical Center South closed in 2022, communities in this part of the city have lived with a significant gap in access to hospital and emergency care.

“When the Atlanta Medical Center closures were abruptly announced nearly four years ago, I said they left an open wound in the heart of our communities. Today, we have come full circle. Morehouse School of Medicine and Atrium Health will not only help heal that wound but expand primary and community-based care in neighborhoods where access is needed most,” Dickens said.“This moment also reflects the promise of our Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative: bringing meaningful investment and opportunity to communities that have gone without for too long. This is the Group Project at its best, and our Administration is grateful to every partner who locked arms to close a healthcare gap that has affected lives across South and West Atlanta.”

MORE COVERAGE: Atlanta City Council pushes for Morehouse partnership to expand healthcare infrastructure

The City of Atlanta is expected to invest more than $115 million in the project to support site preparation, roadway and pedestrian improvements, and equipment associated with opening the acute-care campus.

Plans remain contingent on agreements with Fulton County regarding support to Morehouse Medicine for the ambulatory network across South Fulton.

The organizations will continue meeting with residents, community organizations, elected officials, and healthcare providers as planning progresses, according to the press release.

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