--- title: HR 161. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; opening the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital; commend collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr161 cite_as: HR 161, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr161 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr161.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr161/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69906 date: 2025-02-04 status: passed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr160.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr162.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 131 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr161.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 161 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-02-04 last_action: House Read and Adopted sponsors: - Karen Lupton - Mary Oliver - Sharon Cooper - Samuel Park text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR161/2025 upstream_id: 1955691 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - pediatric healthcare - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta - hospitals - legislative commendation --- # HR 161. Children's Healthcare of Atlanta; opening the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital; commend ## Text House Resolution 161 By: Representatives Lupton of the 83rd, Oliver of the 84th, Cooper of the 45th, and Park of the 107th A RESOLUTION Recognizing Children's Healthcare of Atlanta upon the opening of the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is the only freestanding pediatric healthcare system in Georgia serving patients from all 159 counties with a mission to make kids better today and healthier tomorrow as well as offering more than 60 pediatric specialties and programs, top healthcare professionals, and leading research and technology; and WHEREAS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta operates 789 licensed beds across three hospitals, the Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, eight urgent care centers, and numerous neighborhood locations with more than 14,000 employees, including over 4,400 nurses and 2,300 physicians; and WHEREAS, on September 29, 2024, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta opened the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a 19-story, 2-million-square-foot state-of-the-art facility with 446 licensed beds, 70 percent of which are dedicated to critical care and specialty services, and it now serves as the only dedicated Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center in Georgia; and WHEREAS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta made history on September 29 when it moved 202 patients using 65 ambulances from Egleston Hospital to the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital in fewer than 12 hours, representing one of the largest single-day pediatric hospital moves in the country; and WHEREAS, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has been ranked as a top pediatric hospital by U.S. News & World Report for 21 years, with eight specialties ranked in the top 20 and one specialty ranked in the top 10, exemplifying its commitment to excellence in pediatric healthcare. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for its outstanding contributions to pediatric healthcare in Georgia and celebrate the opening of the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a groundbreaking addition to our state that will provide life changing care to children and families for generations to come. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution formally commends Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for opening the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a large pediatric facility in Atlanta. ### Plain-language summary This resolution from the Georgia House of Representatives recognizes Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the state's only freestanding pediatric healthcare system, for opening the Arthur M. Blank Hospital on September 29, 2024. The text describes the hospital as a 19-story, 2-million-square-foot facility with 446 licensed beds, most dedicated to critical care, and notes it is now Georgia's only Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center. The resolution also highlights the transfer of 202 patients using 65 ambulances from Egleston Hospital to the new facility in under 12 hours, and notes the system's national rankings from U.S. News & World Report. It does not change any law, create funding, or impose requirements; it simply expresses the House's commendation and directs the Clerk to send a copy of the resolution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. ### What it does - Formally recognizes and commends Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for its contributions to pediatric healthcare in Georgia. - Celebrates the opening of the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, describing its size, bed count, and trauma center status. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send a copy of the resolution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. - Creates no new law, funding, or regulatory requirement; it is a ceremonial statement of the House's position. ### Who it affects The resolution directly names Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, its staff, patients, and the Arthur M. Blank Hospital. It has no binding effect on other individuals, businesses, or government agencies in Georgia. ### Why it matters Because this is a commendatory resolution rather than a law, its practical effect is symbolic: it puts the Georgia House of Representatives on record praising the hospital system's new facility, but it does not change funding, regulations, or healthcare policy for Georgians. ### Key provisions - The resolution recites background facts about Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's scope, including 789 licensed beds across three hospitals and over 14,000 employees. - It describes the Arthur M. Blank Hospital's opening on September 29, 2024, including its 446 licensed beds and Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center designation. - It resolves that the House recognizes and commends the hospital system for its contributions to pediatric healthcare in Georgia. - It directs the Clerk of the House to provide a copy of the resolution to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. ## Status - Status: Passed (2025-02-04) - Last action: House Read and Adopted (2025-02-04) - Sponsors: Karen Lupton, Mary Oliver, Sharon Cooper, Samuel Park - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69906 > The history, votes, and amendments (131 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr161.md?full=1