Sandy Springs residents are lucky to have one of the most extensive and healthiest industries in all of Georgia: the healthcare industry. In addition to housing three major, highly rated hospitals, Sandy Springs is home to numerous medical laboratories and doctors’ offices that employ thousands of people.
According to Ashley-Grace Jaberi of Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, the best estimate for the number of healthcare industry workers in Sandy Springs, provided by BusinessWise, is approximately 12,400.
The enormous hospital complex concentrated around Johnson Ferry Road and Peachtree Dunwoody Road did not go unnoticed by the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA). The MARTA Medical Center Station, which cost $22.9 million, opened on June 8, 1996. According to a MARTA spokeswoman, the station “was built to provide convenient transit access and connectivity to the many medical facilities and job centers in the area such as Northside Hospital, St. Joseph’s Hospital and the Children’s Healthcare Scottish Rite Hospital.”
She added, “The closest rail stations are Dunwoody Station to the North and Buckhead Station to the South.”
According to the Fulton County Board of Health, there are 22 community health and hospital systems in the greater Atlanta metro area, including the cities of Atlanta, Alpharetta, Marietta and Sandy Springs. Notably, 40 percent of the hospital beds available in the Atlanta metropolitan area are located in Sandy Springs, thanks to its three major, top-ranked hospitals.
Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital
Founded in 1880, Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital is Atlanta’s first faith-based and its longest-serving hospital. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy. St. Joe’s, as Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital is often called, is a 410-bed adult acute-care facility recognized as one of the top specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast. It employs over 2,100 staff members and nearly 1,100 physicians.
The hospital trains physicians from around the world in robotic cardiothoracic surgery and is the only American Heart Association Mitral Valve Reference Center in Georgia. It is known for its expert physicians and specialty services including oncology, heart and vascular, orthopedics, gastroenterology, and neurology.
The U.S. News and World Report ranked Emory Saint Joseph’s as the number two hospital in Georgia and metro Atlanta for the eighth consecutive year. It is also the first community hospital and one of only two hospitals in the world to achieve its seventh consecutive Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Magnet Recognition Program, for excellence in nursing. The ANCC also awarded the hospital Magnet with Distinction, a new distinction recognizing the highest performing organizations, making Emory Saint Joseph’s the first hospital in the world to receive this honor.
Northside Hospital Atlanta
Northside Hospital Atlanta (although located in Sandy Springs) is the largest hospital in Georgia by number of beds. It has a net patient revenue of nearly $2.8 billion, making it one of the top 50 hospitals in the country. It has 13,000 employees and 2,400 physicians, including its adjacent medical office buildings. System-wide, it has more than 30,000 employees and 3,800 physicians.
Fondly and jokingly referred to as the “baby factory” due to its extensive maternity practice, Northside Hospital is renowned for much more than just its maternity services.
The Northside Hospital Cancer Institute (NHCI) is one of the top two community cancer programs in the United States. It is the largest and most comprehensive cancer hospital network in the state of Georgia, and its cancer research program is one of the largest community-based oncology/hematology programs in the country.
Northside Hospital’s Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program delivers among the best survival rates in the U.S. for bone marrow transplants. It is one of the largest and most comprehensive programs of its kind in the Southeast.
The Northside Hospital Stroke Center has been designated an Advanced Primary Stroke Care Center of Excellence by The Joint Commission. Moreover, the Northside Hospital Orthopedic Institute is Georgia’s leader in joint replacement surgery and the industry leader in innovative rapid recovery protocols. According to Northside’s website, the hospital features the only dedicated surgery center in the nation specifically designed for outpatient joint replacement surgery.
Not willing to settle on its previous accolades, Northside Hospital recently launched a major marketing campaign to present its mission and share its stories across the Atlanta region. According to the hospital, two years of the pandemic have necessitated a different tone, one that reflects how people are feeling and coping. Entitled “Look To Northside,” the campaign anchors a media and storytelling program that is progressive, forward-focused and community-oriented.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite
Not to be outdone by the area hospitals dedicated to adults, Children’s Healthcare has also been expanding to serve the Sandy Springs area since it moved to its location in July 1976. It is now a nationally ranked, freestanding 319-bed pediatric acute care hospital affiliated with the Emory University School of Medicine and the Morehouse School of Medicine, as a member of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s) system. The hospital provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to infants, children, teens and young adults aged zero to 21.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is nationally ranked in 10 pediatric specialties. It operates as both a children’s general medical and surgical facility and serves as a teaching hospital.
The hospital features a state verified level II pediatric trauma center, one of only two in Georgia. Its regional pediatric intensive-care unit and neonatal intensive care units serve the region. It is also known for providing neurosciences, orthopedics, and inpatient rehabilitation.
Sandy Springs residents driving in the area may have noticed that Children’s Healthcare also has a rooftop helipad dedicated to critical pediatric transport.
Healthcare Industry Has a Bright Future in Sandy Springs
Nationwide, overall employment in healthcare occupations is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. Each year, approximately 1.8 million job openings are projected on average across these occupations, driven by employment growth and the need to replace workers who depart from these fields.
That projection paints a rosy picture for the healthcare industry in Sandy Springs, served by its own Marta Station and located around the intersection of Johnson Ferry Road and Peachtree Dunwoody Road.
