Atlanta looks to partner with Morehouse School of Medicine on future hospital
City of Atlanta officials say they are partnering with Morehouse School of Medicine on a proposed $800 million hospital that would serve residents in the southern part of the city.
While funding for the project remains in limbo, city leaders on Tuesday revealed the most details yet about their plans. Dubbed “Project Robin,” the Level 2 trauma center would hold up to 125 beds and is slated to be built at MET Atlanta just south of I-20.
The city would be on the hook for at least $110 million of that price tag over the next decade, said Courtney English, the mayor’s chief of staff. He provided the details to City Council members.
Officials say the much-needed healthcare facility would help fill gaps in medical services left by Wellstar’s closure of Atlanta Medical Center in the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood and Atlanta Medical Center-South in East Point.
Since the 2022 closures, surrounding hospitals and emergency rooms have been inundated with patients. But whether the city can come up with enough funding to get the project off the ground remains to be seen.
Mayor Andre Dickens said partnering with the Morehouse School of Medicine would benefit the medical students and the Atlanta residents who currently find themselves in a healthcare desert.
“They are a great institution with great leadership,” Dickens said. “They heard our cry for many years about trying to have a hospital.”
But funding for the project is largely contingent on Dickens’ efforts to pass his Neighborhood Reinvestment Initiative. The second-term mayor’s sweeping plans include extending six of the city’s eight Tax Allocation Districts, or TADs, for the next three decades. TADs allow incremental increases in property tax revenue to be captured within the boundaries of those districts, and invested in infrastructure.
Dickens’ administration has also pitched the possibility of a future “special service district” to levy a tax on the city’s commercial businesses.
Funding from that could go into a trust fund that is used to help revitalize historically underserved neighborhoods outside the city’s tax allocation districts.
English said the Beltline TAD could fund a “significant portion” of the proposed hospital before the most lucrative of the city’s eight tax districts expires in 2031. Additional funding for the city’s portion could come from a future special service district, he said.
Hospital system Atrium Health purchased the 40-acre property at the MET for nearly $70 million in the fall of 2024. The hospital group said in a statement at the time that it was “excited about Atlanta’s focus on economic development and mobility and commitment to addressing the needs of vulnerable communities.”
City Council member Antonio Lewis, who represents District 12, said the majority of his constituents go to Grady Memorial Hospital since the AMC closure. It’s a commute that can take up to half an hour, he said Tuesday.
Residents on Atlanta’s northside, meanwhile, have their pick of hospitals, Lewis said. He urged the Dickens administration to make the new hospital a priority.
English said time is of the essence, and that he hopes to notify the state whether they plan to move forward with the project by the end of next month.
In a statement, Morehouse School of Medicine said it is dedicated to advancing healthcare access, strengthening the healthcare workforce and improving community well-being.
“We applaud efforts to expand access to quality healthcare in Atlanta. Investing in the health of our communities will pay dividends that help ensure Atlanta remains one of the world’s great cities,” the statement says.
“Morehouse School of Medicine remains committed to supporting community leaders and government officials as we build clinical pipelines, enhance training for physicians and other healthcare and science professionals, and improve outcomes for the communities we serve.”
Council members are expected to vote on the mayor’s NRI legislation at the June 15 meeting.
About the Author
