Our Community Benefit

We know Georgians are counting on us to make a difference—both in the lives of kids and in the strength of our communities. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provided $301 million in community benefits in 2023, serving more than 450,000 children from all 159 counties in Georgia.

Medicaid’s impact on us

A reduction to the Medicaid budget means vital services would be at risk.

In 2023, we provided $196.2 million in care to families who could not cover the costs of their children’s care. Patients who received this care include the uninsured and children covered by Medicaid or PeachCare for Kids, for whom we are reimbursed less than what it costs to provide care.

Children comprise more than 55% of all Medicaid enrollees in Georgia, but make up less than 27% of spending.

For every 1% reduction in Medicaid provider payments, Children’s is negatively impacted by approximately $9.1 million.

Increasing the number of families we assist

Nearly 60% of our patients are on Medicaid, PeachCare for Kids or unable to cover the cost of their care. Children's offers a Financial Assistance Policy to allow patients and their families to qualify for free or discounted care:

• Expanded income eligibility, increased from 340% of Federal Poverty Guidelines to 600% of Federal Poverty Guidelines.
• Families with incomes up to 400% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines to receive a 100% discount with a sliding discount scale for families up to 600% of the Federal Policy Guidelines.

Our economic impact on Georgia

Children’s directly employs more than 14,000 people and serves patients from all 159 counties, making our impact on Georgia’s economy significant.

Children’s operates three hospitals, Marcus Autism Center, the Center for Advanced Pediatrics, Zalik Behavioral and Mental Health Center, and numerous neighborhood locations and Urgent Care Centers.

On an annual basis Children’s:

• Cares for more than 450,000 unique patients.
• Manages more than 1.1 million patient visits.
• Performs more than 44,000 surgical procedures (inpatient and outpatient).

When kids need care, most parents turn to our Emergency Department, where we manage nearly 250,000 visits yearly.

• We provide access to specialized hospital care and treatment at our two dedicated pediatric trauma centers – The Level I Pediatric Trauma Center at Children's Arthur M. Blank Hospital and the Level II Pediatric Trauma Center at our Scottish Rite Hospital. Arthur M. Blank Hospital is the only Level I pediatric trauma center in the state.

Studies show children need specialists.

• Our freestanding hospitals and strategically located programs help treat kids with complex childhood illnesses and provide access to 2,300 pediatric physicians across more than 60 specialties.
• Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is ranked among the nation’s top  pediatric hospitals  for 2024-2025 on the U.S. News & World Report Best Children’s Hospitals list. Children's has eight specialties ranked in the top 20 and one specialty ranked in the top 10.
• We have built a robust transportation network of ambulances and helicopters that function as mobile intensive care units, safely delivering kids in need of specialized care to our facilities. Our transportation network answered 4,300 calls, including 670 helicopter flights.

Children’s has a long history of advocating for children’s health in the community by providing education for families, providers, schools and other key stakeholders while raising community awareness about issues impacting the health of our children. Strong4Life is Children’s child advocacy and prevention arm, backed by Children’s doctors, nurses, therapists, dietitians and other wellness experts. Strong4Life helps parents and caregivers raise safe, healthy, resilient kids. The initiative focuses on obesity prevention, behavioral and mental health, injury and illness prevention, and child protection. In 2023, we committed $16 million to support children's wellness in Georgia, reaching and serving 814,000 Georgia children and working with 906 schools and early care centers.

Children’s primary academic partner, Emory University School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics, has maintained a top 5 ranking in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for pediatrics departments since 2016, achieving eight consecutive years of this top ranking.

Patient data from January 1, 2023 to December 31, 2023.