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Children's Healthcare of Atlanta to build $1 billion pediatric hospital

In addition to the new hospital, the North Druid Hills campus will be home to the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, which broke ground last month.

Jeff Lagasse, Editor

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is planning to build a new $1 billion pediatric hospital, the system has announced.

The decision to build a new hospital was made after studies of future demand and capacity. It was determined that a new facility would be the best way to meet space needs through 2026 and projected demand to 2036.

Jonathan Goldman, chairman of the hospital's board, said in a statement that the decision was the result of careful planning and a long-term perspective.

"After analyzing numerous options, we determined building a new pediatric healthcare campus is the best way to effectively serve our community's expanding needs," said Goldman.

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After construction of the new hospital at North Druid Hills is complete, Children's will no longer operate an inpatient facility at Egleston. Future plans for the use of the Egleston campus have not been determined. Children's Scottish Rite and Hughes Spalding hospitals will continue to grow, officials said.

In addition to the new hospital, the North Druid Hills campus will be home to the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, which broke ground last month. The site currently houses a single-story office complex occupied by Children's. Children's currently owns more than 45 acres at the site.

The project could take six to eight years to complete, and the capacity could be in excess of 400 beds.

Children's will also be investing in facilities across its system as part of a broader initiative to expand access. Plans for this year include opening 46 new licensed beds and 14 observation beds at Scottish Rite hospital; expansion of the emergency department at Hughes Spalding hospital; additional beds at Egleston to meet demand until the new hospital opens; construction of an outpatient facility at Town Center; addition of a new urgent care center in Hamilton Creek; expansion of specialty services and urgent care at Hudson Bridge; expansion of specialty services in Cherokee; construction of a new urgent care center in the Chamblee/Brookhaven area; and construction of the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, a 260,000-square-foot facility that will put complex care specialists, new technology and research for outpatient care under one roof.

Specific transportation, site and building plans for the North Druid Hills Campus will be developed over the next 18 months, officials said.

Twitter: @JELagasse