Georgia County Government - April 2009 - (Page 34) DYNAMIC DEKALB continued from page 33 teaching hospital with one of the nation’s top cardiac care departments; Georgia Perimeter College; Mercer University Atlanta Campus; National-Louis University; and the liberal arts college, Oglethorpe University. Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation and manages 921,000 patient visits each year. Millions of dollars in indigent and charity care are provided monthly, while the majority of Grady’s revenue comes from Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement. Grady is one of Atlanta’s largest employers and generates a positive economic impact of more than $1.5 billion a year for the metro Atlanta economy. Because the public hospital is exclusively funded by taxpayers within Fulton and DeKalb Counties, yet utilized by residents statewide, county leaders from Fulton and DeKalb are asking the General Assembly to legislate statewide funding of Grady. DeKalb has provided an average of $22 million per year for Grady in the past three fiscal years, and plans are to bolster the county’s support of Grady for 2010. The private medical complex surrounding Emory Hospital in north-central DeKalb County is operated by Emory Healthcare, the largest health system in Georgia. The nonprofit network of outpatient and inpatient facilities is the clinical component of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center, which also includes Emory’s schools of medicine, nursing and public health, as well as Yerkes National Primate Research Center. In addition to Emory Healthcare, Emory faculty provide patient care at hospital affi liates, such as Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. A cross-disciplinary relationship between all facets of services within Emory Healthcare benefits patients and gives physicians direct access to leading research, and because of the teaching hospital mission of Emory, students and researchers observe real-world medicine. Emory Healthcare physicians serve approximately 4.4 million patient visits a year, at more than 20 facilities throughout the metro area. Emory also supports public health in DeKalb County, and provided $21.4 million in unreimbursed care in 2008 at the publicly-owned Grady. Mountain – the “lone Mountain” granite outcropping of Indian lore – in the eastern part of the county. Stone Mountain Park, the development around the mountain operated by the Stone Mountain Authority, has become a perennially popular attraction for Georgians and residents of surrounding states. The park has pulled out the stops in the past few years to develop an historic 1870s “Crossroads” village, complete with employees in antebellum costumes, and incorporating state-of-the-art recreation facilities for children, including a dynamic “Skywalk,” a four-story “tightrope walk” assisted by harnesses – which is popular for all ages. Canoeing on Stone Mountain Lake, and what might be the planet’s penultimate laser show, on the “canvas” of the mountain’s carved face, draws some four million visitors annually. Those interested in just hiking around 3,200 acres of lakes and woodlands, and onsite hotels offer vacations proximal to swimming, golf, tennis, boating and hiking. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Druid Hills is home to the world’s largest “skeletal art” dinosaurs, the Giganotosaurus and the Argentinosaurous, the largest dinosaur known. Just like the Smithsonian, Fernbank offers special exhibits that rotate every three or four months which are popular field trip destinations for school children statewide, as well as families seeking daylong activities everyone will enjoy. For those who just want to shop, there’s no need to go outside the county. Here are some of the state’s finest, and most culturally varied, urban boutiques, including those in Candler Park, on Chamblee’s Antique Row and throughout downtown Decatur, a thriving area for nightlife as well. East Atlanta Village and the Old Mill Antiques Village are other in-town shopping destinations, each worth a day’s drive to visit on their own. The Primitive Eye Gallery, a top folk art gallery, the Village of Stone Mountain (an actual town within DeKalb County) and the DeKalb Farmer’s Market are other popular tourist stops. ■ Health Care Public and private health care in DeKalb County is nationally recognized, and two systems bring patients here from all over the state – the Grady Healthcare System – and many parts of the nation, to Emory Hospital. Grady Health System serves public health needs in DeKalb, and as one of the largest public health systems in the U.S. has the only Class I trauma center within a 100-mile radius. Utilized by people from all over the state, Grady Health System consists of the 953-bed Grady Memorial Hospital, nine neighborhood health centers, a major rehabilitation center and a Children’s affiliate. The importance of Grady’s nationally recognized Emergency Care Center and Burn Unit are pointed up by its status as a level I trauma center for the whole region. The state’s only Poison Center is housed at Grady, as well. Grady’s public health network includes the Diabetes Detection & Control Center, Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, Primary Stroke Center and Avon Foundation Comprehensive Breast Center are also notable components of the health system. Moreover, Grady’s Infectious Disease Program was named one of the top three HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics in the country. A Regional Perinatal Center and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Primary Care Center and a dedicated 60-Plus service line for older adults, Teen Services, the Rape Crisis Center, 24-hour Advice Nurse Line are all vital public health services, and heavily utilized. Grady also plays a key role in educating medical professionals in Georgia. An internationally recognized teaching hospital staffed exclusively by doctors from Emory University and Morehouse schools of medicine, Grady has been a locus of a portion, or all the medical training, had by 25 percent of all physicians practicing medicine in Georgia. With more than 5,000 employees, Grady Health System is governed by 34 GEORGIA COUNTY GOVERNMENT Tourism and Attractions DeKalb happens to have one of Georgia’s and the Southeast’s most unique natural resources in Stone
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.