Human Flourshing | Grady 2.0 | Health Equity



The flow of health at Grady begins upstream in the community. Social determinants of health (SDOH)—such as food deserts, vulnerable populations, and chronic disease disparities—create the conditions that drive patients into different points of care. Too often, these factors result in overreliance on the Emergency Department, which represents a reactive crisis mode that is costly, avoidable, and overwhelming in volume.

The opportunity for Grady lies in rebalancing this flow:

Community Health must be strengthened as the true “source of flow,” where proactive partnerships, education, and upstream interventions can reduce the downstream burden.

Ambulatory Care (Preventive First) provides the bridge between community and hospital—expanded clinics, mobile screening, social workers, and navigators can prevent escalation while closing health equity gaps (e.g., HIV care).

Inpatient Care (Acute Episodes) is essential for complex, high-need cases, and Grady has already invested in expanded capacity ($130M, new med/psych beds). However, sustainability requires reducing avoidable readmissions and balancing demand between inpatient and preventive pathways.

Emergency (Reactive Crisis) should be the last resort, not the default entry point. Today, high ED utilization is being driven not just by AMC’s closure but also by system-wide gaps in community and ambulatory access. ED navigators are helping, but true relief will only come from strengthening upstream flows.


In dialogue with Dr. Natasha, we hope to explore:

1. Her perspective on rebalancing the flow across these four domains.


2. Opportunities to align with Grady 2.0’s mission of advancing both community impact and system sustainability.


3. Practical levers—data, partnerships, workforce—that can accelerate the shift from reactive to preventive-first care.



This framing positions Grady not only as the region’s safety net, but as a catalyst for health equity that shifts resources upstream while sustaining excellence in acute and emergency care.





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