Inside City Hall: Atlanta mayor has harsh words for Wellstar

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens didn’t pull any punches when addressing the sweeping impact the closure of the former Atlanta Medical Center by Wellstar Health System has had on the city. It was one year ago that the health system announced it would close the hospital on Nov. 1, 2022.

Dickens described Wellstar’s actions as a “nuclear option” and said he doesn’t believe the organization was facing major financial hardship, which was the reason they used to justify the shutdown.

“I was extremely disappointed in WellStar as an organization,” he said. “When you close a hospital, you know what you’re doing. You’ve just impacted an already challenged network. This isn’t an ‘Oops!’”

The 61st mayor made his harsh comments on Morehouse School of Medicine’s latest episode of “Danforth Dialogues,” a podcast hosted by the school’s President and CEO Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice. The pair talked about Dickens’s inspiration to become mayor as a teenager and his vision for a community where he has lived his entire life.

Dickens said he is focused on improving health equity on the city’s southside following the closure. He also said he’d continue to extend the City Council-approved moratorium on the former Atlanta Medical Center property that halts any redevelopment of the site.

Credit: Steve Schaefer

Credit: Steve Schaefer

“Shame is a tool,” Dickens said. “We’ve had to make sure that Wellstar continues to be on front page news about our disappointment.”

The Atlanta Medical Center was one of only five state-designated Level I trauma centers in Georgia, only two of which are in metro Atlanta. In the wake of AMC’s closure, Grady has been left to shoulder the increase of patients.

The mayor said he is focused on increasing health care resources, particularly for people on the south side of the city that have to drive to Grady when they need help.

“Frankly, I would love to have a hospital named after Morehouse School of Medicine,” Dickens quipped.

You can listen to the podcast online.

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Credit: TNS

Increasing the city’s already substantial surveillance camera network is becoming a theme at City Hall.

Last week, council members voted in favor of legislation that requires gas stations and convenience stores to install high-definition cameras that can monitor every gas pump. The proposal aims at deterring crime at the local businesses.

Some council members want the surveillance requirements to go even farther. Council member Keisha Sean-Waites introduced legislation that would require new building permit applicants to install infrastructure that could support surveillance cameras being integrated into the city’s network.

Atlanta police say the technology — which utilizes both city and residential cameras — will lead to quicker arrests and hopefully deter criminals in the first place.

We checked in with the Atlanta Police Department which said that there are currently 16,310 cameras integrated into the system citywide — of those about 1,300 are owned by Atlanta. The department can directly access feeds from these cameras and have more registered cameras that they can request access too.

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Credit: Atlanta Beltline, Inc.

Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. is hosting a 6:30 p.m. virtual meeting on Thursday to give updates on the progress of Southside Trail segment 4 & 5 and the Reynoldstown Community Space. You can RSVP for the online meeting, or join by phone at 929-205-6099 (Webinar ID 876 5221 0422).

The BeltLine is also hosting a 2 p.m. Aug. 19 meeting for feedback on the redevelopment of 425 Chappell Rd, a BeltLine owned property, and adjacent publicly owned land. The meeting will occur at Maddox Park near the basketball court at 1115 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy NW.

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City Council recently OK’d plans for the city to work with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to use $34.5 million in new and reprogrammed funds to service recipients of Atlanta’s Community Development Block Grant, Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus Program, Emergency Solutions Grant, HOME Investment Partnerships Grants, and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program.

The council also OK’d plans to accept $30 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to implement the city’s Pryor and Central Safe Street and Protected Bike Lanes Project, and to allocate $10 million in local matching funds for that project.

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