Metro Atlanta hospitals confident in face of storm warning

This article has been updated to include comment from Emory Healthcare.

By Thursday evening, the winter storm watch had been upgraded to a warning, the snowfall forecast had jumped up to four inches and Gov. Nathan Deal had declared a state of emergency for noon Friday.

Meanwhile, metro Atlanta hospitals seemed to be ready for whatever may be thrown at them.

Tyler Pearson, a spokesman for WellStar — which has 11 hospitals, with ones in North Fulton and Cobb — said its team is always prepared, "regardless of the weather."

“We began coordinating with local and state partners on Tuesday to assess the potential impact from a winter storm,” he said. “We have evaluated our staffing plans and are ensuring that all facilities have the supplies necessary to maintain operations through a winter storm.”

Staff and patient safety is “critical,” and providers are prepared to care for the community’s healthcare needs around the clock, the spokesman said in an email.

Patty Gregory, a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta spokeswoman, said the hospital is actively monitoring the forecast and has full plans in place for "any type of weather situation."

“We are working with staff to be sure we're prepared for any winter weather in the coming days,” she said.

Children’s has locations throughout metro Atlanta.

Emory Healthcare said any changes to normal operations will be posted on its website.

“During severe weather, all Emory Healthcare hospitals will remain open and operational 24 hours a day/7 days a week to care for our patients,” a spokeswoman said.

Gwinnett County's hospitals were also preparing for the threat of winter weather.