--- title: HR 1797. Grady Memorial Hospital; rename to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr1797 cite_as: HR 1797, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1797 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1797.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1797/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74277 date: 2026-03-23 status: introduced 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/hr1796.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1798.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1797.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 1797 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2026-03-19 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Eric Bell - Park Cannon - Carl Gilliard - Al Williams - Edna Jackson - Carolyn Hugley text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR1797/2025 upstream_id: 2136390 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Grady Memorial Hospital - hospital renaming - civil rights history - Atlanta healthcare - Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority --- # HR 1797. Grady Memorial Hospital; rename to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital; urge ## Text House Resolution 1797 By: Representatives Bell of the 75th, Cannon of the 58th, Gilliard of the 162nd, Williams of the 168th, Jackson of the 165th, and others A RESOLUTION Urging for the renaming of Grady Memorial Hospital to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital; and for other purposes. WHEREAS, Grady Memorial Hospital has long stood as one of Georgia's most significant public healthcare institutions, serving generations of Atlantans and residents across the state; and WHEREAS, the hospital is named in honor of Henry Grady, a historical figure who, while influential in shaping the "New South" narrative, was also documented as an outspoken white supremacist whose public speeches and writings promoted racial hierarchy and opposed Black political and social equality; and WHEREAS, numerous institutions across the nation have set a precedent by reevaluating and, where appropriate, removing the names of historical figures whose legacies are rooted in racism and exclusion in order to better reflect contemporary values of equity, dignity, and justice; and WHEREAS, Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr. was one of Atlanta's first Black dentists, a respected civic leader, and a courageous civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in advancing healthcare equity; and WHEREAS, Dr. Bell led the legal effort that forced the desegregation of Grady Memorial Hospital through the landmark 1962 United States Supreme Court ruling in Bell v. Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, which held that public hospitals receiving federal funds could not lawfully operate on a segregated basis; and WHEREAS, this historic victory not only desegregated Grady Memorial Hospital but also accelerated the dismantling of segregation within public hospital systems throughout the American South; and WHEREAS, Dr. Bell's leadership challenged the very discriminatory practices that defined the era in which the hospital operated and ensured that access to care would no longer be denied on the basis of race; and WHEREAS, the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority was compelled to comply with constitutional principles of equal protection as a result of Dr. Bell's advocacy and legal action; and WHEREAS, renaming the institution to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital would preserve historical continuity while affirmatively recognizing a local hero whose legacy aligns with the hospital's mission to provide equitable, compassionate care to all people. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body urge the appropriate governing authorities to take all necessary steps to rename Grady Memorial Hospital to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital in honor of Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr., whose life and legacy advanced justice, equality, and access to healthcare for all Georgians. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the press. ## 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 would urge officials to rename Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital, honoring civil rights figure Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change any law. It expresses the Georgia House of Representatives' position urging the governing authorities responsible for Grady Memorial Hospital to rename it Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital. The resolution recounts that the hospital is currently named for Henry Grady, described in the text as an outspoken white supremacist, and argues for adding recognition of Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr., a Black dentist and civil rights leader who led the legal fight that desegregated the hospital through the 1962 U.S. Supreme Court case Bell v. Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority. The resolution directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available to the public and press, but it has no binding legal effect on the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority or any other body; it is a statement urging action, not a mandate. ### What it does - Formally urges the governing authorities of Grady Memorial Hospital to rename it Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital. - States the House's position that Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr. should be honored for leading the legal effort that desegregated the hospital. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to distribute copies of the resolution to the public and press. - Creates no new law, funding, or legal requirement; it only expresses the chamber's urging on a naming decision. ### Who it affects The Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, which governs Grady Memorial Hospital and would be the body asked to act on the renaming; hospital patients, staff, and the Atlanta community who interact with the institution; and the public, who would see any name change reflected in signage and records. ### Why it matters If the hospital authority follows the resolution's urging, the name Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital would replace the current name on the public institution, changing how the hospital is publicly identified and adding recognition of a local civil rights figure alongside the hospital's original namesake. ### Key provisions - The resolution's whereas clauses describe Henry Grady's history and Dr. Roy Charles Bell Sr.'s role in the 1962 case Bell v. Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority that desegregated the hospital. - The resolving clause urges 'the appropriate governing authorities to take all necessary steps to rename Grady Memorial Hospital to Grady-Bell Memorial Hospital.' - A further resolved clause directs the Clerk of the House to make copies available for distribution to the public and press. - As a resolution rather than a bill, it carries no penalty, funding, or enforcement mechanism and does not amend the Georgia Code. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2026-03-19) - Last action: House Second Readers (2026-03-23) - Sponsors: Eric Bell, Park Cannon, Carl Gilliard, Al Williams, Edna Jackson, Carolyn Hugley - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/74277 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr1797.md?full=1