Southwest Atlanta Wellstar patients concerned about impact of additional closures

ATLANTA – The approaching closure of Atlanta Medical Middle will make Grady Memorial Hospital the one stage one trauma middle in Atlanta, however it isn’t the one facility dealing with closures. Different Wellstar branches will not serve individuals. Greater than a dozen amenities are closing or relocating to Cobb County in a matter of weeks.

A number of sufferers who did not need to be recognized say they’re frightened about what this implies for southwest Atlanta — a predominately Black group.

Some sufferers have till Nov. 1, others till Nov.18, to discover a new well being care facility that meets their wants.

The issue is there are solely so many alternate choices, most being exterior town. Not everybody has entry to dependable transportation and public transport doesn’t all the time attain the outer counties.

Atlanta Metropolis Council member Marci Collier Overstreet, whose husband is a Wellstar doctor, says this can be a main blow to the Black group which makes up 49% of Atlanta’s inhabitants, in line with 2021 US Census knowledge.

“It has been very intentional that we stay in southwest Atlanta, that he’s labored in southwest Atlanta and began observe right here. It’s a bitter capsule to swallow to have to select a complete new pathway,” Collier Overstreet stated.

Right here’s the total breakdown of what amenities will shut or relocate, in line with Wellstar:

Places of work at AMC Medical Workplace buildings

• Wellstar International Orthopedics at 285 Boulevard NE  – Changing to a non-public observe on Nov. 30
• Wellstar Inside Medication at 285 Boulevard NE  – Relocating to Cobb on Oct. 28
• Wellstar Surgical Specialists of Atlanta at 315 Boulevard NE – Relocating to Kennestone on Nov. 18
• Wellstar Orthopedic Surgical procedure at 320 Parkway Dr. NE – Relocating to Kennestone on Nov. 1
• Wellstar Neurosurgery at 285 Boulevard NE – Closing Nov. 18
• Wellstar OB/GYN at 285 Boulevard NE – Closing Nov. 1
• Wellstar Rheumatology at 285 Boulevard NE – Closing Nov. 18

Places of work at different places

• Wellstar Household Medication at 1136 Cleveland Ave. – Closing on Nov. 18
• Wellstar Normal Surgical procedure at 1136 Cleveland Ave. – Closing Nov. 18
• Wellstar Household Medication at 560 Amsterdam Ave. – Closing Nov. 18
• Wellstar Cardiovascular Medication at 229 Peachtree St. NE – Closing Nov. 18
• Wellstar Cardiovascular Surgical procedure at 229 Peachtree St. NE – Closing Nov. 18
• Wellstar Urogynecology at 3886 Princeton Lakes Means SW – Closing Nov. 18

“It is type of unhappy. It makes you ask the query of: ‘Why? Why they’re leaving this group,” a affected person, who solely needed to go by the identify Courtney stated.

She didn’t even know her household drugs location on Cascade Highway will shut for good November 18 till FOX 5 crews instructed her.

Others say they know time is operating out, they only don’t know what’s subsequent.

“It’s a well being care disaster at this level. If I’m solely receiving calls from the Black group about needing assist,” she stated. “They’re calling with easy questions; ‘what am I purported to do now,’” Collier Overstreet stated.

“I put in laws that has been ratified for us to have a moratorium for the precise AMC spot. To ensure the zoning is fastidiously deliberate, so we’re on the desk once we determine what to do with that vast void in our metropolis,” she stated.

That transfer primarily extends Mayor Andre Dickens’ govt order.

Wellstar despatched FOX 5 a remark that reads partially:

“Sufferers can proceed to obtain care from many of those physicians at new Wellstar places, as almost 70% of WMG physicians have accepted new roles at one other Wellstar location.”