It’s so cold in the Aldredge Health Center, Fulton County facilities project director Dennis King said, that patients aren’t willing to disrobe for their examinations.

The building’s HVAC unit would cost nearly $6 million to replace. So in the short term, the county decided to spend $285,250 to buy heat strips that will provide heat in targeted areas in the building, like exam rooms and waiting rooms.

“It’s the biggest bang for the buck on a short-term basis,” King said. “The heating will only take us through the winter. It’s an interim thing.”

King said the county had to get large space heaters so people could tolerate working in the building, which serves critical patients sent over from Grady Hospital.

“We cannot go through a winter with those folks having to be examined” without heat, he said. “You’ve got to take care of the patients while you’ve got them.”

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Rose Scott signals as "Closer Look" goes on the air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray for the AJC 2023)

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