ATLANTA — The Fulton County Commission on Wednesday voted to approve a resolution that authorizes a request to the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate Wellstar Health System practices as "possible healthcare redlining."
It comes after the closing of Atlanta Medical Center last year, which left the city with just one Level 1 trauma center and drew the ire of community advocates who said it would leave some of the city's most vulnerable populations without access to their longtime care providers.
The resolution, which was approved in a 5-1 vote, said that the closure of AMC and the emergency department at Wellstar's facility in East Point "disproportionately and negatively impacts minorities and economically disadvantaged individuals," and notes that the health system "is expanding operations in areas outside of Fulton County, specifically in areas with smaller minority and economically disadvantaged populations."
RELATED: Federal complaint challenges Wellstar's nonprofit status | Wellstar calls federal complaints 'outrageous and false'
Wellstar, in a statement, decried the resolution as an attempt to "score cheap political points."
"The suggestion that Wellstar in any way discriminated against patients and communities of color is shameful and false," the statement said.
Wellstar added that it spent two years trying to "find a solution" to difficulties at AMC. They have described those as the costs of keeping it operating, the "age of AMC's buildings" and "the fact that utilization was less than half of the bed capacity and a lack of public and private support."
"Unfortunately, local policymakers declined to provide any support to AMC as they rightly have and do with the other safety net hospital in Atlanta," Wellstar said, referring to Grady Hospital.
The full resolution and Wellstar's full statement can both be seen at the bottom of this article.
The resolution alleges Wellstar's ongoing expansions in other areas, coupled with the closures of AMC and the East Point emergency department - where there are higher concentrations of patients of color and economically disadvantaged patients - is evidence of "an intent not to serve such populations."
The resolution authorizes the county attorney to file a complain with the Department of Justice to request an investigation into alleged healthcare redlining. It's unclear if the DOJ would act on any such complaint.
The Commission's resolution comes as two other federal complaints have been lodged against Wellstar by state lawmakers, one a civil rights complaint and one a complaint challenging the hospital system's nonprofit status.
Wellstar has called the allegations tied to those complaints as "outrageous and false."
Full Fulton County Commission resolution
Full Wellstar statement
Our mission is to enhance the health and wellbeing of every person we serve. The suggestion that Wellstar in any way discriminated against patients and communities of color is shameful and false. We are a diverse group of 24,000 caregivers caring for diverse communities every day across Georgia.
We are proud to be the largest provider of charity care in the state of Georgia and are among the top 10 providers nationwide, bringing expert, compassionate health services to people who need us most. Last year alone, Wellstar’s uncompensated and charity care totaled $1.3 billion.
We must set the record straight about why Wellstar had to close AMC and why we are exploring options in Augusta. In fact, our efforts to find another health system partner and work with government officials to find a solution started well before our decision was announced to close AMC in 2022. We spent more than two years trying to do so. This included direct discussions with policymakers in Fulton County, including Chairman Pitts as early as February 2020. Unfortunately, local policymakers declined to provide any support to AMC as they rightly have and do with the other safety net hospital in Atlanta.
We deeply understand and honor the important role Atlanta Medical Center played for so many community members and share the pain and loss associated with its closure. These difficult circumstances and ongoing community discussions should not give license to some politicians to attack an entire healthcare system—home to 24,000 team members and caregivers —to score cheap political points.
We will continue to invest in and partner with the communities we serve and advance our vision to deliver world-class healthcare to every person, every time.