ATLANTA — Excavators and demolition equipment got to work Monday tearing down the Atlanta Medical Center. Former employees were among those in attendance as the work began.
The site has been a hospital serving Atlanta for more than 100 years and was the site of a training school for nurses. Soon, it will become the latest mixed-use development.
“Boulevard Next will represent what’s possible when we center people, history and partnership,” Integral CEO Egbert Perry said.
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Integral is the master developer for the planned project currently dubbed Boulevard Next, which they hope will bring jobs to the Fourth Ward community.
“This is about reknitting a part of the city of Atlanta,” Perry said. “We are committed to revitalizing the community with empathy and foresight.”
However, not everyone in the crowd was so sure, Channel 2’s Michael Doudna reported.
“You can’t replace a hospital with a house or a condo or condominium,” said Elizabeth Jones, a former hospital employee.
Jones worked at the facility for 40 years and was joined by around 20 of her former colleagues to watch the demolition.
“It was like the end of an era of caring and love and family. It’s like a family building has been torn down,” Jones said.
Jones said she loved working at Atlanta Medical Center and chose to retire when Wellstar decided to close the hospital. She says the community still has a hole since the facility’s closure.
“To take away health care for people who really need it, maybe not in this area anymore, but in the city of Atlanta. I mean, people are dying,” Jones said.
Since Atlanta Medical Center’s closure, other hospitals have seen an increase in work.
For example, Grady Hospital has experienced a 35 to 40% increase in trauma volume and a 20 to 30% increase in obstetric volume, according to Grady’s administration.
“Convenient healthcare needs to be part of the future of this neighborhood. We are committed to making that vision a reality,” Wellstar President and CEO Candice Saunders said.
Saunders did not provide details about what healthcare options would be provided in the new development. However, she believes that development is best for the health of the community.
“Even as a health care system, we know health isn’t just shaped by medicine and doctors and caregivers. It’s shaped by access to opportunity, and safe and connected neighborhoods. It means walkable streets, quality housing, green spaces to support health,” Saunders said.
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