Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

By Patti Richter

 

Imagine African elephants — 57,000 of them — landed at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Then they headed north on I-85 toward their destination in the North Druid Hills area of Brookhaven.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) says the elephants’ combined weight represents its newest hospital once it is completed and filled. The 1.5-million-square-foot Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a 19-story tower with two wings, should weigh approximately 570 million pounds.

Janet Read is Children’s community development officer in Canton, serving both Cherokee and Pickens counties. She says CHOA’s new 70-plus-acre campus outside of Atlanta’s perimeter will help provide Cherokee County residents access to the very best in pediatric care.

“At Children’s, we’re excited about the new hospital,” Read says. “And the elephants are just a part of our ‘Never Settle’ campaign to spread the news about this largest healthcare project in Georgia’s history.”

 

For the Sake of Georgia Kids

The Never Settle campaign means CHOA is dreaming bigger — not stopping at good enough. The healthcare system seeks to include Atlanta communities in bringing this project to completion.

“We cannot do what we do without the help of generous donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals,” says Children’s.

The construction project that began in late 2020 is CHOA’s most transformative investment since its beginning in 1915 as the Scottish Rite Convalescent Home for Crippled Children. After 107 years, Children’s is now represented by a vast number of people who work together to deliver exceptional pediatric care: 11,000 employees and more than 10,000 volunteers.

After its expected completion in 2025, the Arthur M. Blank Hospital will become CHOA’s third hospital, replacing the current Egleston campus. Children’s two other hospitals include Scottish Rite and Hughes Spalding.

CHOA’s healthcare system also contains more than 25 neighborhood facilities throughout metro Atlanta including many Pediatric Urgent Care locations. In Canton, Children’s Physician Group on Riverstone Parkway offers both orthopedic and sports medicine.

The rising $1.5-billion hospital (located near Emory University) was named in honor of Arthur M. Blank, whose foundation made the largest donation CHOA has ever received: $200 million. Plans for its completion are dream-worthy indeed — inside and out.

The hospital will be nearly the size of Mercedes-Benz Stadium (another facility connected to Arthur M. Blank, who owns the Atlanta Falcons). Some of its more notable specifications include:

• Larger single-patient rooms to facilitate family members overnight
• Kitchens, shower facilities, laundry rooms, and business centers for families
• 75% of patient rooms will have garden views
• 20 acres of greenspace with a football-field-sized “Great Lawn” for children and families to enjoy and to serve as a special events venue
• Three miles of walking trails and 1,200 trees for the benefit of children, their families, and CHOA employees

 

Already in place on the North Druid Hills campus is the Children’s Center for Advanced Pediatrics, which opened in 2018. Still to come is an 11-story medical office building that will be attached to the hospital. This 325,000-square-foot structure will house outpatient clinics, a high-tech simulation center, and a state-of-the-art conference center.

 

The Path Forward

Children’s at Scottish Rite will remain a Level 2 pediatric trauma center and grow its neuroscience and orthopedic programs, and the Hughes Spalding Hospital will continue to focus on primary care and treatment of asthma and sickle cell disease. The Arthur M. Blank Hospital will be designated a Level 1 pediatric trauma center, the only one in Georgia.

The new hospital will focus on cardiac, hematology/oncology, and transplant services. This cutting-edge facility will include robocarts and pneumatic conveyors to move materials, cell therapy labs, a 3D printing lab that will help create lifesaving options, and a six-bed Special Care Unit for treatment of infectious diseases.

“We are also committed to addressing the growing crisis of behavioral and mental health issues among children including depression, anxiety, autism, and attention deficit disorder. We will partner with our community to build a pediatric ecosystem of care that improves outcomes, reduces stigma, and enhances access, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment,”
says Children’s.

One of the many ways CHOA is fulfilling its mission “to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow” is through Strong4Life.com. This website offers abundant information and resources to help busy families “raise healthy, safe, resilient kids.”

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta believes clinical research is the best path forward: discovering cures and more effective treatments that save lives, and medical breakthroughs that result from collaboration with other top minds in the field.

“We’re building a hospital campus that will provide advanced care for kids today and for generations to come,” says Children’s.

 

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It is comforting to know the team at CHOA stands ready to help support families like mine in times of illness or injury.

They share my mission as a parent to help keep children healthy and safe.

We are blessed to have them be part of our community!”
— Jodi, mother


“When Jennings was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, he received world class care in a beautiful hospital. The funny thing is, with all the activities, amenities, and specialized care, he thought it was a fancy hotel.”
— Julie, mother


“CHOA — the hospital, the specialists, the urgent care facilities — each level of the organization is available to our family during illness, injury, and working through childhood.”
— Billy, father

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Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

1558 Riverstone Parkway, Suite 100
Canton, GA 30114
404-785-4612 or 404-317-7443
CHOA.org