Grady tells DeKalb commissioners two neighborhood clinics are under construction; third site to be chosen after data review

Grady Memorial Hospital outlined plans Tuesday for two new neighborhood health clinics in DeKalb County and said a third site will be selected after further data review and coordination with county officials.

Ryan Logue, Grady's chief health policy officer, told the full Board of Commissioners that the county and Fulton County are party to a four-party operating agreement signed in December 2023 that funded the hospital's obligations, including building three new clinics in DeKalb.

Logue said the county currently provides about $25 million a year to Grady to offset care for uninsured and underinsured DeKalb residents, a figure adjusted annually against the medical consumer price index. He said two clinics are now in construction: a Flat Shoals site with 13 exam rooms and imaging (CT, mammography and ultrasound) and a Candler McAfee storefront clinic, also with 13 exam rooms but no on-site imaging. Grady told commissioners the Flat Shoals site's shell and pad work is under way with material completion expected in late summer and full activation targeted for year-end or early next year; the Candler site's interior work is expected to be materially complete in November and to open late this year or early 2026.

"This was inked in December of 2023," Logue said of the operating agreement, and he reiterated Grady's role as a safety-net provider. "Grady's core tenant is to provide access to health care services for DeKalb and Fulton County residents regardless of their ability to pay."

Logue described the planning considerations for the third clinic, saying Grady will use its Community Health Needs Assessment and zip-code level utilization data to guide the final site choice and expects to decide "sometime this summer." He said planned sizes for future clinics range from 6,000 to 8,000 square feet for smaller neighborhood centers to 15,000 to 20,000 square feet for larger sites with imaging; Grady provided a planning cost example of about $22 million for a larger, build-to-suit clinic.

Commissioners pressed Grady on accessibility and community integration. Commissioner Ladina Bolton asked whether proximity to MARTA was part of site selection; Logue said transit access is an important consideration and that Grady has raised the clinics with MARTA as MARTA plans its next-gen bus network. Bolton also asked whether Grady coordinates with nearby providers and public health; Logue said Grady seeks partnerships and gave DeKalb Public Health as an example of an agency with complementary services (for instance, public-health screening programs referring patients to Grady's imaging capacity).

Commissioner Nicole Messia requested the supporting Community Health Needs Assessment and related materials; Logue said Grady will share the 2022 CHNA and expects the 2025 CHNA to be completed in early fall. Commissioners asked about changes from previously-discussed plans at Flat Shoals; Logue said earlier proposals considered an alternative parcel but infrastructure constraints led Grady to the current site and that Grady briefed PECS on the change.

Why it matters: DeKalb's financial commitment to Grady and the location of neighborhood clinics affect access to primary and specialty care across the county. Commissioners said they wanted written briefings, opportunities to tour clinics and clearer coordination with transit and local development plans.

Logue said Grady would return for a deeper presentation at the PECS committee and host commissioners on a site tour. "We are coming back to do a more in-depth dive at PECS on the tenth," he said, and invited commissioners to a June 11 tour of Grady leadership and sites.

Grady's presentation included construction timelines, expected services and a promise to share analysis and memoranda supporting the third-site decision. Commissioners urged Grady to prioritize transit access and to continue coordination with DeKalb Public Health and local developers as the clinics move toward opening.