Ideas for a full-service hospital serving those in the North Fulton area began in 1980 as local legislators, public officials and private citizens saw a need for medical care in the area. After two years of discussion, legal proceedings and preliminary planning meetings, final approval was passed down by the Georgia State Health Planning and Development Agency on January 6 of 1982 for the new hospital, then known as North Fulton Medical Center.

Construction began on October 4, 1982 on 38 acres of pasture land that was once occupied by a barn, surrounded by dirt, trees, and a two-lane country road. At that time, Highway 9 was not the major Alpharetta/Roswell throughway it is today.

The hospital’s first administrator, Martin Perlin, assumed his role in the late spring of 1982, before the hospital construction began. A leader with an eye for future growth, Perlin knew the preliminary plans for the hospital would need to include room for expansion as the community was likely to explode in the years to come.

In a May 27, 1982 article published in the North Fulton Extra, Perlin is quoted as saying, “Five years down the road it’s going to be too little. We’re building a base so it can be doubled (in capacity).” And noting the rapid growth in the North Fulton area, Perlin said, “North Fulton Medical Center is in the right place at the right time.”

Looking today at the Alpharetta/Roswell area where North Fulton Regional Hospital (as it is now known) now sits, it would appear that Perlin was exactly right. Population growth in the North Fulton area is booming, fueled by the wide variety of corporations and businesses, the high-quality school system and the many family-friendly community and social outlets; and the growth does not seem to be slowing. So, North Fulton Regional Hospital is responding.

In 1982, initial plans for the hospital included capacity for 175 beds, which allowed for future expansion. On November 6, 1983, the hospital officially opened its doors as a one-story, 108,734 square foot facility with a two story Atrium front to accommodate a second or third level when needed. At that time, North Fulton Medical Center provided 24-hour emergency services, obstetrical services and intensive and coronary care units. Outpatient services included ambulatory surgery, prenatal clinics, and laboratory and radiology services.

Now 25 years later, much has changed…

• The two-story Atrium is now in use as the hospital operates three different levels;
• The Emergency Department, after a major 2006 expansion project, now occupies 18,000 square feet and provides space for 28 patient rooms, many designated solely for trauma cases;
• The Women’s Center offers a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for the care of premature or critically ill infants and infants with other complications;
• In September of 2007, another expansion project consisted of a new patient tower, taking the hospital to 202 beds. This addition provided for an expanded operating room area with dedicated surgical suites for neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery and laparoscopic surgery, all with the latest advanced in high definition technology. It also allowed for the combination of three critical care units (Neuro Intensive Care, Cardiac Critical Care, and Intensive Care) on the second floor of the tower;
• And, of course, the original 1983 hospital remains, housing such areas as the rehabilitation and surgical nursing units, among others.

With the evolution of the community and the medical field, North Fulton Regional Hospital has undergone various changes throughout the years, but the one thing that has remained constant is the focus on quality healthcare. As the dynamics in the community are likely to continue to change in the years to come, 25 years of history show that North Fulton Regional Hospital is prepared to meet the needs of the resident population for 25 more years…and beyond.

Learn more about the hospital, then and now.