Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens sends another letter about closure of downtown hospital

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) – Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens has despatched a follow-up letter to Wellstar CEO Candice Saunders relating to the closure of Atlanta Medical Heart in downtown Atlanta.

The letter says:

“As Mayor of Atlanta, I’ll go away no stone unturned as I discover each choice to safeguard entry to very important healthcare providers for members of our neighborhood,” Mayor Dickens wrote. “However let me be clear: Wellstar nonetheless has a accountability to this neighborhood as nicely. Wellstar wants to supply rapid solutions to the neighborhood about what you’re doing to mitigate the hurt to the neighborhood of this closure.”

The Mayor highlighted a number of precedence areas—together with care transition for sufferers at Atlanta Medical Heart, emergency planning, and the longer term use of the 25-acre website—and famous that he and his workforce are deeply engaged with different governments and stakeholders to deal with the scenario.

“We’ll proceed to have interaction these companions to rapidly establish potential sources and providers to satisfy the wants of our neighborhood and mitigate any detrimental impacts out of your choice to shut Atlanta Medical Heart.”

READ FULL LETTER HERE

Wellstar knowledgeable its staff on Aug. 31 that the hospital, which has a Stage 1 trauma unit, will shut on Nov. 1.

Many officers and lawmakers have expressed their concern and Dickens gave Wellstar a deadline of Sept. 16 to clarify their actions.

Wellstar has stated they’re being pressured to shut the hospital due to monetary issues.

COMPLETE COVERAGE OF AMC CLOSURE

Fifty thousand of the 65,000 sufferers seen within the hospital’s emergency room final yr had been thought of low-income.

The president and CEO of Grady Well being System says the closure of Atlanta Medical Heart goes to place a “lot of pressure” on the opposite hospitals in metro Atlanta.

Sufferers of the hospital are additionally offended and really feel like they’ve been frolicked to dry. The residents of Outdated Fourth Ward neighborhood are amongst those that might be most impacted.

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