City Councilmember Dustin Hillis shares details as Atlanta prepares to launch its own ambulance service

Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital is preparing for an anticipated increase in demand following the planned closure of the Atlanta Medical Center in November.

Lisa Hagen / WABE

Each year, there are an estimated 240 million calls to 911 made nationwide. In Atlanta, although not exclusively, those calls can be followed by frustrating wait times for medical assistance – a longstanding issue for many residents.

“Police and fire usually get there very quickly, but there have been instances of people waiting an hour or 90 minutes plus,” said Dustin Hillis, an Atlanta city councilmember since 2017.

EMS times are only expected to worsen with the closing of the Atlanta Medical Center in November.