An increase in police and ambulances is to be expected on Sunday, Sept. 29 when Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will conduct a 12-hour critical care patient move from Egleston Hospital at Emory University to the brand-new Arthur M. Blank Hospital in Brookhaven.
Children’s has not announced plans for Egleston Hospital, saying only that the building will close the day of the move and “it will no longer be a hospital.” Pediatric cancer patients from Scottish Rite Hospital will also be transferred to Arthur M. Blank Hospital that day.
Arthur M. Blank Hospital is the home to Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare, a national leader in treatment and research.
Children’s has engaged 1,500 company staff and 65 ambulances to make transition as easy as possible, Kristopher Mattson, director of System Safety and Emergency Management, said last week at the Brookhaven City Council meeting.
Law enforcement from Brookhaven, DeKalb County, Emory and Georgia State Patrol will be assigned to every intersection the EMS units use during the move. Police will only step in when critically ill patients are in transit through a trafficked intersection, Mattson said.
“As you know, Egleston has the some of the sickest kids in the state of Georgia, and we want to make sure that we have safe route of travel for those patients. The ambulances will have closed intersections to make sure we have no problems getting that patient up to the new hospital,” Mattson added.
Many churches along the five-mile route have opted for virtual services that day.
“We have been working diligently with all those churches to make sure that we will have no impacts on them,” said Mattson.
Drivers will be alerted by electronic signs on I-85, on local roads, and through social media. Staff in the Emergency Department at Egleston will be prepared to redirect emergency patients who mistakenly arrive there on Sept. 29.
