Family of surviving Midtown shooting victim reacts to Atlanta Medical Center closing

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - The family of a man critically injured in a Midtown triple shooting wants leaders to reevaluate the decision to close Atlanta Medical Center, where a loving father and husband fight for his life.

Mike Horne is the only victim who survived a triple shooting in Midtown on August 22. While he remains in the hospital’s ICU, his daughter, Alison Page, shared gratitude for the people who saved his life.

“He probably shouldn’t be alive, but because of them he is,” said Page. “Unfortunately, that may not be the case for other people if this closes.”

Page said her father was originally supposed to go in an ambulance to Grady Hospital, the other level one trauma center in the Atlanta area. However, she explained, Grady was full and Horne was rerouted to AMC.

“If this hospital closes, that means a lot of people in Atlanta will die. That’s the truth,” said Page.

The next closest level one trauma facility is in Macon, roughly 80 minutes from the Atlanta metro. Even if Horne had been airlifted there, he likely would not have survived.

“He was bleeding out. He wouldn’t have made it,” explained Page.

As WellStar prepares to shut down AMC in November for financial reasons, Page called on decision-makers to reevaluate their options. She suggested one way to save money is to consider pay cuts for people at the top of the health system.

“When people’s lives are less important than money, there’s an issue,” said Page.

Page also suggested WellStar leaders familiarize themselves with the people who will be most impacted by the decision.

“Somebody has never been in this position. Maybe they’ve never come down to see what the nurses and doctors deal with every day,” she said. “My hope would be that they put themselves in a different position than a cushy CEO office and take a look at what they’re taking away.”

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