On April 9, Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts and members of the Board of Commissioners participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for Grady Health System’s new 20,000 square-foot freestanding emergency department, which will be located on Highway 92 at South Fulton Parkway in Union City.

Commissioners in attendance included Vice Chair Bob Ellis, district Commissioner Marvin S. Arrington, Jr., and Commissioners Bridget Thorne, Dana Barrett, and Mo Ivory, as well as County Manager Dick Anderson and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Pamela Roshell.  Fulton County and Grady officials were joined by Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Union City Mayor Vince Williams, along with dozens of community members.

The Freestanding Emergency Room is the latest collaboration in Fulton County’s longstanding relationship with Grady, which dates back for more than a century.  Fulton County will contribute approximately $19.2 million in debt service payments for this project.

The new freestanding Emergency Center responds to a need for improved healthcare access in South Fulton.  In 2022, two hospitals in Fulton County closed their doors – one in Atlanta and one in East Point. After those closures, Fulton County collaborated with Morehouse School of Medicine and Ernst & Young to conduct the “Project Care” study, which examined the impact of gaps in healthcare access for Fulton County residents. This study confirmed the existence of a significant “healthcare desert” in South Fulton, and a life expectancy difference of 7 years between residents in South Fulton and those in North Fulton.  Following that study, Fulton County engaged Grady leadership in addressing the issue.

Chairman Pitts noted, “We learned that the lack of accessible emergency care in South Fulton is literally costing people their lives.  I applaud Grady’s leadership for listening, and I applaud them even more for taking real action. Residents in South Fulton need this and they deserve it.”

The new freestanding emergency room will open in Fall 2026. The 40-acre parcel provides the opportunity for future expansion to potentially include additional healthcare services.