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Article Category: Newsroom

Babies, kids and teens now have their own emergency department at Wellstar Douglas Hospital

Published on November 09, 2021

Last updated 09:16 AM November 09, 2021

Dr. Beckford caring for a young female patient.

For a child, going to the hospital can be scary. That’s why Wellstar Douglas Hospital’s new $5.7 million Pediatric Emergency Department (ED) offers a kid-friendly and kid-sized experience for Douglas County’s youngest patients. The nautical-themed 7,600 square-foot facility provides specialized care for children from birth to 18 years of age.

The world-class “just-for-kids” facility has a separate entrance and waiting room from the main Emergency Department and is currently open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The ten treatment rooms feature child-sized furniture, equipment and supplies.

“We created an environment that is optimum for healing and that helps our youngest patients feel as comfortable as possible,” said Dr. Avril Beckford, chief pediatric officer, Wellstar Health System. “Children in Douglas deserve to see doctors and nurses who understand them. We also wanted to give parents a state-of-the-art facility staffed by pediatric physicians close to home – there is no need to travel long distances with a sick child now, because this specialized facility is right here, in the Douglas County community.”


A deeper dive into kid-friendly care

Staffed by kid-friendly nurses and skilled providers devoted to children, the new kids’ ED is a result of collaboration between the architect, construction firm and pediatric experts. Wellstar’s pediatric team cares for children at more than 114,000 emergency visits a year across Wellstar’s hospitals.

“From the outside, there are colorful floor-to-ceiling glass windows,” Dr. Beckford said, as she imagined a child’s first impression. “It feels almost like you’re walking into an aquarium.”

Inside the pediatric ED, children and their parents are greeted by warm staff members, soothing murals of ocean life, a large flat screen TV and child-sized furnishings.

To help children be seen and treated more quickly, some rooms will be dedicated to patients with less serious conditions – such as sore throats and sprains. There will also be a trauma bay and a dedicated room for adolescent gynecological concerns.

Take a virtual tour of the new Pediatric Department

Help Douglas children get the care they deserve

Donors to the Wellstar Foundation – many from the Douglas community – funded nearly $1 million of the new Pediatric Emergency Department. Foundation representatives aim to raise another $508,000 for additional pediatric equipment and facility needs.

“The new Pediatric Emergency Department is the epitome of life-saving philanthropy in action as it is anticipated to provide care for more than 12,000 children each year,” said Julie Teer, senior vice president, Wellstar Health System, and president, Wellstar Foundation. “Wellstar is incredibly grateful to the community for generously supporting the Pediatric Emergency Department with donations that help make this project possible. While we are thrilled to be opening this new facility, additional donations are still needed to complete funding for this full-service, world-class vision of pediatric emergency care in Douglas County. We hope the community will continue to partner with us to ensure our most vulnerable patients have critical care available, right here at home.”

The Wellstar Foundation reinvests 100% of the donations received toward achieving Wellstar’s vision of delivering world-class care. Tax-deductible donations and commemorative brick orders can be made here. For more information, call 770-956-GIVE or email [email protected].

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Exterior photo of Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center. Wellstar and Joint Commission logos.

Newsroom

Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center Receives Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification

Wellstar Health System announced today that The Joint Commission recognized Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the most demanding stroke certification recognizing hospitals that have specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. With two of the eight Comprehensive Stroke Centers in Georgia, Wellstar Health System now offers stroke patients greater access to the highest level of stroke and aneurysm care. Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is also Joint Commission certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

“For years, we have provided world-class stroke care for each and every patient when they need it most. This designation represents how hard we have worked to provide the very best quality care for patients in North Fulton County and across Georgia. We’re proud that our work and subsequent positive patient outcomes are being recognized,” said Dr. Michael Mendoza, medical director of the Stroke Program at Wellstar North Fulton.

Wellstar North Fulton’s certification allows more Georgians to have access to the most advance diagnostics and treatments for cerebrovascular disease such as stroke. This is important because Georgia is located in the Stroke Belt, which is comprised of 11 states in the Southeast where the associated mortality rate for stroke patients is 10 percent above the national average.

At Wellstar North Fulton and Wellstar Kennestone, patients have access to advanced diagnostics and therapies to care for even the most complicated strokes faster and more effectively. These include:

  • Neuro Intensive Care Units –  A multidisciplinary team of physicians and nurses who specialize in neurocritical care.
  • Minimally-invasive treatment – Wellstar is one of only four programs in the state that offer neuroendovascular treatment, such as minimally-invasive clot retrieval, patients can be provided with a much less invasive treatment technique.
  • Cutting-edge imaging – Neurointerventional biplane imaging shows detailed, 3D views of blood vessels in the brain. This allows neurosurgeons to flip neuroendovascular cases to an open neurosurgical case when needed.
  • Pioneering technology – Wellstar North Fulton was among the first hospitals in the country to use the groundbreaking Artemis Neuro Evacuation device to treat brain bleeds, a condition that was nearly impossible to treat in the past.
  • Around-the-clock care – Artificial intelligence such as VizAi allows quicker identification of patients who are candidates for thrombectomy and organizes care in a connected system by quicker response to identify and provide care as quickly as possible.

“Our team of neurosurgeons, neurocritical care physicians, neuroradiologists, advanced practice practitioners and nurses work together to perform world-class thrombectomies, aneurysm treatments, carotid surgeries and cerebral bypass procedures so that patients can regain their best quality of life. Additionally, our dedicated hybrid neurovascular suite is equipped with innovative bi-plane technology. This allows neurosurgeons to view highly detailed images of brain vessels, so we as a team can customize treatments in real time,” said Dr. Arthur Grigorian, neurosurgeon, Wellstar North Fulton.

“When you have a stroke, every second counts. Getting fast, expert stroke care can mean the difference between life, death, or lasting brain damage. We are proud to receive this prestigious certification at Wellstar North Fulton, informing the surrounding community that they don’t have to go far to receive the best treatment possible. We will continue to work hard to provide an interdisciplinary, innovative, and compassionate approach to safe and quality comprehensive stroke care to all the communities we serve,” said Jon-Paul Croom, president, Wellstar North Fulton and senior vice president, Wellstar Health System.

Wellstar is a leading provider of stroke and aneurysm services in Georgia and performs one of the highest numbers of thrombectomy and aneurysm treatments in the country. The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit organization that accredits more than 22,000 healthcare organizations and programs.

Keep reading
Photo of Bernice A. King. Text reads "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’" -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Newsroom

Wellstar Honors the Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On January 12, Wellstar honored the life, legacy and many contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a live-streamed tribute. The program included performances from The Wellstar Singers, interfaith prayers and a keynote address featuring a conversation between Dr. Bernice A. King, youngest daughter of Martin and Coretta Scott King, and Monica Kaufman Pearson, beloved former Atlanta news anchor. 

The program was themed around a 1957 quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Life's most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’" 

Throughout the program, Dr. Bernice A. King shared important life lessons instilled in her as a child, including the value of forgiveness and nonviolence. Dr. King provided insight about the state of the world, growing polarization and the need to take time to listen to those who we perceive as our enemies. 

Watch the program. 

As CEO of The King Center, Dr. Bernice A. King’s mission is to spread her father’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. Through programs like Nonviolence365®, Beloved Community Leadership Academy and Students with the King, she is working to make perspective-altering resources available to people of all ages. 

This program was pre-recorded in November at the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. The conversation was held in front of a live audience including Wellstar leaders, members of the Minority Physician Business Resource Group and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team.  

Wellstar is honored to celebrate the life and legacy of American Civil Rights Movement leader and activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognizes Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday. Team members are encouraged to take the day “on” by volunteering in the community.

Wellstar is proud to be a corporate sponsor partnering with The King Center on a variety of events leading up to the holiday on Jan. 16.

Keep reading
Headshot photo of Jill Case-Wirth. Wellstar and Healthcare Executive podcast logos.

Newsroom

Leadership for Intense Times

Healthcare professionals are trained to work with science, data and facts. But when the pandemic hit, leaders had to grapple with working through the unknown. According to Jill Case-Wirth, senior vice president and chief nurse executive of Wellstar Health System, core tenets of leadership, such as communication, courage, and the ability to establish trust, remained constant, while other characteristics moved more clearly into focus in 2020.

“Humility rose to the forefront,” Case-Wirth said. “You had to be comfortable being able to say, ‘I don’t know, but together we’re going to figure this out … and we’re going to do the best that we can with the information we have available.’”

“We learned a lot of things during COVID about leading differently that we shouldn’t let go of now,” she said.

Case-Wirth shared that data analytics is one of those growth areas for today’s healthcare leaders. Having the ability to review data, gain consensus on the insights, and then quickly develop a plan for an actionable change management strategy is essential for future successful leaders. As a registered nurse, Case-Wirth also places an imperative on planning for the future of nursing, pioneering a career pathway program that starts as young as middle school. In addition to partnering with local universities and technical colleges, she emphasized the importance of being “thoughtful that we have these programs in diverse communities” to reach a wide student population and grow a diverse workforce for the future.

Listen to more insights on Healthcare Executive Podcast.

Case-Wirth was also featured among other healthcare leaders in the article “Leadership for Intense Times” in the November/December issue of Healthcare Executive Magazine.

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