Northside Hospital expands emergency department to meet demand
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Northside Hospital Atlanta in Sandy Springs is building a 67,000-square-foot emergency department expansion.
Northside Hospital Atlanta in Sandy Springs is expanding its emergency department footprint to respond to the steady increase in patients each year.
Why it matters: As metro Atlanta grows, area hospitals and medical facilities must meet the demand that comes with an expanding population.
The latest: The two-story, 67,000-square-foot expansion will add 18 treatment rooms, a new entrance and lobby, five triage rooms, and a CT scanner, says Chris Munn, Northside's director of emergency services.
- It also includes renovations to about 7,800 square feet of space on its ground floor.
- The project began in April and is projected to cost $47 million, Munn says.
What they're saying: Munn tells Axios the Sandy Springs hospital, which Northside calls its Atlanta campus, expanded its emergency department in 2013, but "we've continued to see strong growth of patients coming to the emergency department as metro Atlanta has grown."
- The number of patients who visit the emergency department each year grew from 39,000 three decades ago to 68,000 in 2025, Munn says.
- "We were undersized for the area that we're serving," he says.
- The expansion will also allow the hospital to accept more patients arriving via EMS if they are rerouted from other facilities due to capacity issues, he says.
Zoom in: Northside will also build a 17,000-square-foot parking area for its visitors and patients.
- Some parking areas have been closed to accommodate the construction, but Northside has reserved parking in its Gold Deck for patients and visitors.
- Parking has also been reconfigured for staff members in the emergency department, which Munn says is a little more than 200 people.
Context: Northside Hospital Atlanta is on the eastern edge of Sandy Springs in an area known as Pill Hill. That nickname is due to its high concentration of hospitals and medical offices.
- Along with Northside, the area is home to Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.
Catch up quick: According to its website, Northside Hospital opened in 1970 with 250 beds. It now has more than 600 beds and employs 4,000 doctors and 14,000 employees.
- The company also has four additional hospitals: Northside Hospital Cherokee in Canton, Northside Hospital Forsyth in Cumming, Northside Hospital Gwinnett and Northside Hospital Duluth.
What's next: Munn says the expansion is expected to finish by March 2028.