Grady's Efforts to Meet Changing Medical Needs

Since 1892, Grady has embraced a culture of adaptation and innovation to cater to the ever-changing medical requirements of the region, with an unwavering commitment to providing exceptional health services.

Specialized Care and Collaborative Affiliations at Grady

Doctors at Grady are affiliated with Emory and Morehouse medical schools and focus on cancer, urology, cardiology, neurology, and chronic disease, as well as family medicine and senior care. This care is provided at Grady Hospital as well as at six other facilities within and outside of the perimeter of Grady Hospital.

Elevating Standards and Attracting Global Medical Experts

The Grady Medical Center meets every need – even as they continue to raise the standards of medical care throughout the region. Doctors from all over the world come to Grady to practice, teach, and save patients whose conditions are beyond other hospitals’ capabilities.

More Than Care

It is no secret that Grady is one of the country’s top trauma centers. The team saves people who have been severely injured in car accidents, industrial accidents, and other trauma incidents 24 hours a day. But they also have another side. This side heals diseases, treats burns, corrects injuries, and treats sniffles.

The Evolution of Grady Hospital: A Journey Through Time

To meet the region’s evolving medical needs, Grady has continually reinvented itself since its opening in 1892. During the 1890s, that meant the same quality of care for rich and poor. As early as the 1920s, it meant performing Georgia’s first open-heart surgery. As part of the dedicated stroke center in 2013, the first neurological surgical suite was developed to facilitate the removal of clots from stroke victims’ brains. We can barely imagine what it will be like tomorrow.

1892

Grady Hospital – owned and operated by the city of Atlanta – opens with 100 beds.

1892

1898

School for Nurses opens.

1898

1915

Grady and Emory School of Medicine partnership begins.

1915

1917

Municipal Training School for colored nurses opens.

1917

1923

Steiner Clinic, Georgia’s first and largest comprehensive Cancer Center, is established.

1923

1941

State General Assembly approves the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority to operate the hospital.

1941

1958

New 1000 bed hospital opens.

1958

1964

Nursing Schools merge.

1964

1970

Georgia Poison Center opens in the hospital.

1970

1982

Last class of the School of Nursing graduates.

1982

1984

Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center opens.

1984

1987

State designation as a Level 1 Trauma Center.

1987

1990

Grady and Morehouse School of Medicine partnership begins.

1990

1993

The Ponce De Leon HIV/AIDS Center opens.

1993

2003

Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence opens.

2003

2008

The not-for-profit Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation is created to administer the health system.

2008

2010

Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center opens The Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence is accredited by the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer.

2010

2011

Marcus Trauma Center opens
Named one of Atlanta’s Top Ten Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.

2011

2012

Named one of the nation’s “Most Wired” hospitals by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine.

2012

2013

Burn Center receives American Burn Association verification.

2013

2013

Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center is designated an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

2013

2013

Correll Cardiac Center opens.

2013

2013

Grady becomes an internationally recognized Baby-Friendly Designated Facility.

2013

2017

Grady becomes an internationally recognized Baby-Friendly Designated Facility.

2017

2017

Grady earns American College of Surgeons Level 1 Trauma Verification.

2017

2017

Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Outpatient Center opens.

2017

2018

The Marcus Stroke Network launches. The coordinated and collaborative effort with Grady, the Emory School of Medicine, Boca Raton Regional Hospital and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association has a mission to help reduce stroke disability and death rates in the Southeastern United States.

2018

2018

Grady becomes the only civilian hospital in the country to form a partnership with the U.S. Army Special Forces to provide additional, formal instruction and preparation for its Green Beret Special Operations Combat Medics (SOCM 18 Delta).

2018

2018

Georgia’s first mobile stroke unit goes in service. The ambulance, operated by Grady EMS, takes cutting edge stroke care directly to patients.

2018

2018

Grady EMS opens its South Georgia EMS headquarters in Albany.

2018

Asset Management

The Lease Transfer Agreement clearly states The FDHA’s responsibility for ensuring that all facilities currently operated by Grady are properly maintained and operated. This mandate goes beyond functioning as a landlord, but rather speaks to an expected standard of care for all. The FDHA and Grady must work collaboratively to ensure that all Grady facilities go beyond the minimum standard of “fit for use” so that the quality of Grady facilities is consistent with that of any other high-functioning hospitals.

Innovative Strategies and Initiatives

The most recent pandemic brought gaping healthcare disparities to light. As Georgia’s larg- est safety net hospital (and only safety net hospital in Metro Atlanta due to the closure of Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center), Grady continues to see increased service demands. Often, the medically indigent and underserved use the emergency room for primary care services. Issues like housing insecurity and poverty place additional strain on the Grady Health System, particularly when other factors (outside of the hospital walls) inform one’s overall wellbeing. As Grady continues to seek ways to improve health outcomes in the community, The FDHA is tasked with identifying innovative ways to support Grady’s efforts and broaden its reach into targeted sectors of the community. This pillar also speaks to The FDHA’s efforts to work collaboratively through grantmaking with organizations whose mission, vision, and work align with The FDHA’s priorities and goals. Through structured strategic partnerships, focused and aligned grant making, and ongoing community engagement, The FDHA will assume a leadership role in the health ecosystem.

Stakeholder Engagement

There are many stakeholders within the Fulton/DeKalb health ecosystem. Stakeholders can be characterizedas individuals, groups, or organizations whose efforts either inform healthcare outcomes or are impacted by healthcare outcomes. Grady remains The FDHA’s most important partner in this effort and a key stakeholder in the health ecosystem. As the daily operators of all of Grady’s health facilities, hundreds of thousands of patients per year (more than 700,000) are impacted. Maintaining consistent communication and collaboration with Grady’s Executive Leadership Team and staff is central to the success of The FDHA.

 

Similarly, The FDHA’s alignment and support of Grady’s population health and community engagement efforts are invaluable. As a grantor, The FDHA has an extensive network of community-based partners that work daily to provide direct services and/or support various health priorities. Many of these organizations provide services directly related to social determinants of health (i.e., housing, education, transportation, etc.) thereby adding value to the continuum of care. As The FDHA seeks to embrace a more prominent role as a convener, organizer, and facilitator in the health ecosystem, engaging stakeholders with purpose and intentionality becomes increasingly important.

Organizational Capacity & Accountability

The FDHA’s obligations, relative to its role as owners of the facilities operated by Grady and stewards of county resources entrusted to Grady, require the requisite skills of staff to execute key administrative and regulatory functions. Establishing and maintaining a staffing model that adequately responds to the needs of the agency is vital. Of equal importance is the establishment and maintenance of high-functioning financial management systems and general operations controls. Critical front and back-office functions should be insulated from staff turnover or shifts in organizational priorities. The provision of ongoing staff development opportunities will ensure that team members stay abreast of industry standards, best practices, and leading-edge opportunities. In addition, the curation and maintenance of financial management best practices ensure organizational accountability and responsiveness.

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