Shepherd Center unveils new 16-story tower to expand housing capacity

The Shepherd Center in Buckhead has unveiled its new 16-story residential tower on Peachtree Road that more than doubles its housing capacity.

The Arthur M. Blank Family Residences, just south of the Shepherd Center’s main building at 2020 Peachtree Road, includes 165 apartments and is slated to open to guests in October.

Day program patients and families of patients with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions who live more than 60 miles from the Shepherd Center will be able to stay in the donor-funded housing for the entire time their loved one is in rehabilitation.

Family members become crucial parts of the care team at Shepherd, participating in a wide variety of training and education before they often become primary caregivers when their loved ones return home, said Shepherd Center President and CEO Sarah Morrison.

“Research shows that the more the family can get involved in a patient’s care while they are at the Shepherd Center, the more they can learn to do themselves and are less likely to go back to the hospital,” Morrison told Rough Draft. “There are just all these positive outcomes from having the integration with family members in the rehab process.”

But right now, the Shepherd Center only has enough housing for every family to be able to stay for 30 days. Due to the complexity of the types of patients treated at the hospital, lengths of stays are often 55 to 60 days.

Also, 50% of the Shepherd Center’s patients come from out of state and 75% come from outside the metro Atlanta area. In 2022, there were 876 inpatient admissions and 280 admissions to the hospital’s day patient programs.

When that 30 days is up, families and caretakers far from home are often faced with difficult choices.

“They are not going to find a cheap hotel in Buckhead for a 30-day stay, and so what most families are doing is either they are staying at home and not coming in, which we don’t want because we want the best outcomes for our patients, or they will sleep in their loved one’s room,” Morrison said.

Sleeping in a hospital room for a month or longer is exhausting for family members who have much to learn because brain and spinal cord injuries and other neurological illnesses affect almost every single body system, Morrison said.

“That’s why it’s so important for these families to have a place to rest their head at night. They’re very close to their loved one, and they can walk right over and see them at any time,” she said. “This housing was just so important to us because of the family members and because of our patients, and that’s why we offer it.”

The tower at 1860 Peachtree Road is named for Arthur Blank, co-founder of The Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United. His family’s foundation donated $50 million toward the project. The total cost of the building was approximately $120 million, according to a Shepherd Center spokesperson.

The housing expansion is part of the hospital’s strategic plan to grow its inpatient and outpatient programs and provide more resources for people with brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions.

The campaign also received an $80 million grant from the Marcus Foundation to build the Marcus Center for Advanced Rehabilitation, set to open next year. The Marcus Foundation was established by Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus.

The campaign’s original goal was $350 million, but Morrison said the Shepherd Center has already raised $390 million.

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