Recently, outside Atlanta Medical Center, Cynthia Pratt was waiting for a lift, 20 miles back home to College Park.
“I’ve been coming to the hospital about 10 years,” Pratt said. “You know, people are friendly, they’re family oriented. They treat you nice. You know, they treat you like you’re somebody.”
Pratt has a leg wound that she gets checked at the hospital once a week. She gets most of her treatment covered by Medicare. Atlanta Medical Center is where she sees a heart doctor and gets primary care.
A stone’s throw away from Grady Memorial Hospital and Emory University Hospital Midtown, Atlanta Medical Center is a safety net hospital, meaning more than 10% of its patient load can’t afford to pay for care. More than 20% of its patients rely on federal health insurance.
But after over 100 years of serving the community, the hospital is closing Nov. 1, and Pratt isn’t quite sure where to go next.