Grady Health System announced plans for a new medical center campus in South Fulton County – a major investment designed to expand access to high-quality care, relieve capacity constraints, and strengthen community health in one of metro Atlanta’s fastest growing communities.
The campus will open in phases, beginning with a new medical office building, followed by an acute care hospital, both located near the freestanding emergency department currently under construction on Campbellton Fairburn Road in Union City. Together with a planned leadership transition, the announcements reflect Grady’s long-term vision for the future – strengthening its foundation, expanding its reach, and preparing the health system to serve the next generation of patients.
“At Grady, world-class care extends far beyond our hospital walls,” said John Haupert, President and CEO at Grady. “For generations, we have been a cornerstone of Atlanta’s health care system by strengthening the region’s infrastructure, advancing economic stability, and empowering communities to not just survive, but thrive.”
Demand for Grady’s services continues to grow, with more than 2,000 patients relying on Grady for care each day and approximately 155,000 emergency department visits annually.
To manage this growth, Grady has expanded access through neighborhood clinics, mobile health units, hospital-at-home, home health, remote monitoring, and telehealth services – meeting patients where they are and reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Despite these efforts, capacity constraints remain a challenge, compounded by ongoing changes in federal funding and policies that affect hospital finances. The South Fulton medical campus is a key component of Grady’s strategy to address both current and future needs.
The new campus in South Fulton County will feature a medical office building offering imaging services, a surgery center, specialty clinics, pharmacy services, rehabilitation, and a full floor dedicated to pediatric care provided by Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The campus will also include a 200-bed acute care hospital with critical care, intermediate care, and acute care units. Grady anticipates that the hospital will serve as a Level 3 verified trauma center, equipped to assess, resuscitate, perform emergency surgery, and stabilize patients with serious injuries, transferring the most complex cases to higher-level trauma centers when necessary.
Construction will take place in phases, with the medical office building scheduled to open in early 2028, followed by the hospital, which is expected to open in 2031. The freestanding emergency department, opening in June 2026, will later be integrated into the new hospital.
The project, expected to cost more than $1 billion, will be funded through a combination of sources, including $300 million in Fulton County bond funding, with the remaining funds coming from Grady financing and philanthropic support raised through a multi-year capital campaign.
“We are proud of this latest partnership with Grady,” said Fulton County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts. “South Fulton County is both a rapidly growing community and a recognized health care desert. For the people of South Fulton, improved access to health care is not a luxury, it is a necessity. No longer will families be forced to travel long distances or lose critical time seeking emergency or basic medical services. Closing this gap will save lives.”
Grady’s investment in the community – expanding services, strengthening local partnerships, and increasing resources – will ensure residents have greater access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare. In addition to the new medical center campus, Grady is planning to expand its neighborhood health center and urgent care center network to further improve access to essential health care services.
