ATLANTA (AP) — Democratic Georgia lawmakers, local officials and the NAACP are asking federal officials to investigate a health care system that closed hospitals in downtown Atlanta and a southern suburb, claiming Wellstar Health System has illegally discriminated against Black people and violated its tax-exempt status.
State Sen. Nan Orrock, an Atlanta Democrat, said Wednesday that she and others filed complaints Tuesday with the IRS and the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“WellStar should be held to account,” Orrock said at a news conference at the Georgia Capitol. “Wellstar should be required to repair the damage that it’s caused to this long-established system of care for the individuals formerly served by these facilities.”
Based in suburban Marietta, Wellstar last November closed the 450-bed Atlanta Medical Center, a vital health care provider for many low-income residents, just months after closing the smaller Atlanta Medical Center South in East Point. Wellstar had operated both hospitals since 2016 after buying them and others from for-profit operator Tenet Healthcare Corp.
An email seeking comment was sent to a spokesperson for Wellstar. When the system closed the hospitals, it said it had spent more than $350 million to cover losses and make improvements at Atlanta Medical Center, losing $100 million in the year before closing. Wellstar said then that it tried and fail to find governments or others to help with sustainable solutions.