While Wellstar Health System is shutting down one of Atlanta’s hospitals, another one is expanding.

Grady Memorial Hospital is building a five-floor outpatient facility, allowing it to add more rooms.

The work is scheduled to be done in February. The $200 million project has been in the works since 2017. With Atlanta Medical Center scheduled to close at midnight on Oct. 31, and this expansion couldn’t come at a better time.

“It is the largest investment we’ve had at Grady in 30 years,” said Shannon Sale, Grady Hospital’s chief strategy officer.

For five years now, Sale has been working and planning this $237-million outpatient expansion.

“A colonoscopy, a clinic visit, imaging visit, cancer treatment is also within the building,” Sale said.

She said they are moving all of the outpatient care into this new building, across the street from the hospital. They will then remodel the hospital and add two floors of new rooms to accommodate more patients coming over from the closing of Atlanta Medical Center.

“Right when the community is losing capacity, we’re adding capacity,” said Kelley Carroll, MD, who is in charge of all outpatient surgeries.

“We are definitely increasing our staff,” she said. We have some new services, some pharmacy services, imaging services, so yes, we are adding more staff.”

The new expansion is five total floors with more than 220,000 square feet for outpatient surgeries and oncology treatments.

“This facility is really on par with any other facility in this market in terms of the cutting-edge equipment and clinical care that will happen here,” Carroll said.

The new Correll Pavilion will increase Grady’s clinic space by 45% and operating room space by 25%.

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