Morehouse School of Medicine Releases Statement After Fulton County Approves Funding for New Hospital
Fulton County lawmakers voted unanimously to allow MSM students to receive professional training at the new South Fulton hospital, after approving funding for the new facility.
By Alvieann Chandler, Jonathan Raymond and Grace King, 11Alive
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) released a statement after county lawmakers voted to allow their students to receive professional training, following the approval of funding for the new South Fulton hospital.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners (FCBOC ) voted unanimously in support of an amendment confirming that MSM students will receive clinical training at the new hospital.
The project will cost more than $1 billion. After the approval, Grady Health System announced its plan for the medical campus.
Grady said in a separate press release that the new medical center in South Fulton would be a "major investment designed to expand access to high-quality care, relieve capacity constraints and strengthen community health" in the area.
In Morehouse School of Medicine's statement, MSM said it fully supports the new hospital, "which will address the dearth of healthcare options in South Fulton County."
Morehouse School of Medicine conducted an in-depth study in 2023, in partnership with the FCBOC and EY, that not only identified a healthcare desert in central and south Fulton, but also, based on the research from Project Care, that the region between the proposed Union City hospital site and Grady Memorial Hospital has the "greatest disease burden."
"We believe the new South Fulton hospital is a major first step in helping to improve healthcare service delivery in that part of the county," said MSM in a press release. "However, the research from Project Care also showed that the Fulton County region between the proposed Union City hospital site and Grady is where there is the greatest disease burden, which makes it clear that area needs an ambulatory healthcare network comprised of clinics, imaging facilities, physicians' offices and other services to expand the choice of healthcare options for residents. Morehouse School of Medicine is fully supportive of the new hospital, which will help to address the dearth of healthcare options in South Fulton County."
The initial medical office building, expected by 2028, will have "imaging services, a surgery center, specialty clinics, pharmacy services, rehabilitation, and a full floor dedicated to pediatric care provided by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta."
The acute care hospital is expected to be built by 2031.