Wellstar AMC's closure stretches Atlanta's trauma center safety net

Just after midnight on Tuesday, Wellstar turned off the lights at the Atlanta Medical Center, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in the metro region and a much-needed provider of emergency care.

Zoom in: Other than Grady Memorial Hospital, the nearest Level 1 trauma centers — medical facilities staffed and equipped to handle severe injuries like gunshots, auto accidents or mass casualty events — are located in Macon, Chattanooga, Birmingham and Augusta.

Of note: 67% of the 4,281 emergency room patients that AMC saw in its downtown and East Point locations in 2019 were Black, according to Wellstar data cited by the AJC.

• 52% were Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

What’s next: Gov. Brian Kemp tapped federal funding to make a one-time, $130 million investment in Grady to handle overflow, adding to the Fulton County Commission’s $11 million aid.

• Atlanta has issued a moratorium until April 2023 on any development proposals for the 25-acre site. Mayor Andre Dickens says he hopes a new operator will take over the hospital.