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Article Category: Newsroom

Cobb County Mother and Son Make Service A Lifestyle

Published on May 10, 2024

Last updated 02:39 PM May 10, 2024

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Determination and service are family traits shared by the mother-son duo of Claudette Owens and her son Mayor Michael Owens of Mableton. The two have been serving their community in Cobb County for decades leading Michael to become the first Mayor of Mableton in 2023.

Claudette found her calling in nursing and served at Wellstar Cobb Medical Center from October 1998 to April 2012 when she retired. As we celebrate National Nurses week, she expressed that “once you are a nurse, you are always a nurse.”

During her time at Wellstar, she was a staff nurse and a charge nurse. “I think all nurses probably feel the same way. When our patients come in with chest pain, shortness of breath and chest pains so unstable, it is such a good feeling to care for them and bring them back to good health. That was my reward from Wellstar Cobb Hospital when I served on 2 North.”

At that time, her son Michael was pursuing his dreams and attending college. “If he set his mind to do something, he was going to find a way to do it,” Claudette said. “I think determination was his guiding force.”

On the eve of Mother’s Day weekend, Claudette fondly remembers her son when he was young. “He would bring me little pictures and we would go over them. He played basketball with his friends and brothers and was even into modeling and acting. He always kept me busy too because I was always running him here and there, but it was really fun for me.”

Michael started his life of service as a teenager by joining the United States Marine Corps before going on to college. “He’s always been moving towards something,” she said.

“I joined the Marines at 17. My father was in the Marines and my grandfather was in the Navy. Leadership is an extension of serving my country – I am now serving locally,” Michael said.

After enlisting with the Marines, Michael graduated from high school and went to Paris Island for basic training. He served for eight years and then attended North Carolina A&T State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the U.S. Army War College. He launched a career in cybersecurity and dedicated time to public service. When Cobb County residents voted to create the City of Mableton in 2022, Michael set his sights on his next chapter of community service.

Michael’s drive and inspiration is evident in his mother. “Before she was a nurse, she opened her own beauty salon in a small town in North Carolina,” he said.

Michael’s fondest memory of his mom is when she became a registered nurse. “She inspired me, and she still inspires me. She has always had an appetite for the world and working hard. She was relentless in wanting the best for us as a wife, mother and daughter. She was constantly trying to be everywhere at the same time.”

As Claudette reflected on her time as a nurse, she recalls, “I was welcomed from the very beginning. I always felt welcome there [at Wellstar] and I still feel that way today.”

Michael shared that some of his mother’s best friends served alongside her.

“I used my vacation time back then to make sure to get our family together,” she remembers describing the summers when she would get her entire family, including five children, their spouses and grandchildren together.

The camaraderie she experienced on the floor with her fellow nurses is memorable. “And we all knew one another’s children even though we didn’t see them, but we knew when there was a graduation or birthday.”

Now that she is retired, Claudette is still active in the Mableton community, attending events and enjoying many of the activities the city has to offer, and spending time in her garden and with her family.

For Michael, his service is about “improving the quality of life for everyone.” With strong role models growing up and in adulthood, he is committed to his community. After spending the first year of his term “putting the blocks together” for the newly established city, he’s excited about Mableton 2045, a comprehensive citywide plan that’s being developed.

“The goal is to come up with a flexible and comprehensive plan to determine how the city is going to change and build,” he explained.

Mableton is now the largest city in Cobb County and home to 80,000 people.

The mayor and his mother will have much to celebrate this Mother’s Day, including their legacy of serving their growing community.

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Newsroom

CLEAR and Wellstar Health System Modernize the Patient Experience Using CLEAR1’s Digital Check-In

NEW YORK and ATLANTA, Oct. 21, 2025 – CLEAR (NYSE: YOU), the secure identity company, and Wellstar Health System (“Wellstar”), are dramatically improving the patient experience and saving hundreds of staff hours through a partnership that leverages CLEAR’s identity platform, CLEAR1. Findings from a joint case study released today highlight how health systems nationwide can use technology to make the patient experience faster and easier by reimagining one of the most visible pain points in the care journey: Patient Check In.

Despite widespread investment in digital tools, many check-ins still depend on manual lookups, paper forms, and repetitive data entry—creating friction for both patients and staff. Wellstar has been at the forefront of innovation as the first health system to launch CLEAR1 for check-in, which is integrated with Epic Welcome to enable seamless deployment. With this industry-leading solution, patients can quickly and easily check in for their appointments with a quick selfie at a kiosk or on a handheld tablet.

Since the initial launch at Avalon Health Park in May 2024, Wellstar has seen a dramatic and measurable impact on both experience and operational efficiency, with plans to expand to more than 150 locations across its system. The integration is live at Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, the first hospital in the U.S. to leverage CLEAR1 for patient check-ins, and at five Wellstar outpatient facilities. Wellstar plans to roll out additional use cases with CLEAR1, including patient MyChart account creation and recovery, workforce account recovery, and online scheduling.

“CLEAR’s focus is on making everyday experiences both safer and easier, and our work with Wellstar is helping pave the way for the future of modern patient experiences," said Caryn Seidman Becker, CEO of CLEAR. “We are excited about the growth opportunities ahead and the many ways we can support health systems to improve patient and staff experiences and create a more integrated healthcare future.”

“The results of the study speak for themselves. By leveraging CLEAR1’s technology we introduced a modern, digital check-in experience that saves patients and team members time, reduces administrative costs, and streamlines the check-in process for everyone,” said Dr. Hank Capps, EVP and Chief Information and Digital Officer for Wellstar Health System and President of Catalyst by Wellstar. “Wellstar partnered with CLEAR because we are ommitted to investing in technologies that elevate the patient experience, alleviate the stress on staff, and reduce friction across every part of the patient journey.”

Key outcomes achieved since launching CLEAR1 for check-in include:

  • Improved Patient Experience – Digital check-in adoption increased from 2 to 10 percent, with strong engagement among patients 45 and older. 73 percent of patients who used CLEAR1’s digital check-in technology reported that they would use it again.
  • Operational Efficiency – In just six months, CLEAR1-enabled check-ins freed up more than 1,500 hours of staff time, allowing teams to focus on higher-value tasks such as assisting patients with complex problems.
  • Reduction in Duplicate Records & Cost Savings – By linking appointments to a verified identity, Wellstar has been able to uncover and resolve duplicate patient records before visits, reducing costly administrative rework and minimizing claim complications. Collectively, these improvements are projected to deliver $2 million in savings for every 25,000 patients verified through CLEAR1.

The case study is available here.

About CLEAR
CLEAR's mission is to strengthen security and create frictionless experiences. With over 33 million Members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR's secure identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you—making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we do not sell biometric or sensitive personal data. For more information, visit clearme.com.

About Wellstar Health System
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it's only possible thanks to our 33,000 team members who provide expert compassionate care for every stage of life. PeopleCare also means we serve our communities as a non-profit health system, providing more than $1 billion annually in charity care and community programs, and operating the largest integrated trauma network in the State of Georgia. We embrace innovation and technology, nurture early-stage companies through our venture firm Catalyst by Wellstar, and train future generations of caregivers with academic institutions including the Medical College of Georgia. Wellstar honors every voice and is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. To learn more, visit Wellstar.org.

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Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia dedicates new lobby to pioneering Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Charles Howell

Newsroom

Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia dedicates new lobby to pioneering Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Charles Howell

AUGUSTA, Ga. (Oct. 13, 2025) – Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia officially cut the ribbon on its updated lobby Monday with a ceremony attended by donors, dignitaries from Wellstar, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center, Augusta University and the city of Augusta.

There was also a very special guest in attendance, Dr. Charles Howell, who throughout his career has been one of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia’s biggest advocates. From the stage, he watched, visibly touched, as a giant purple curtain fell, revealing the words “Dr. Charles G. Howell Jr Lobby” stretching across the lobby wall, greeting guests as they enter.

“I’m a little embarrassed,” Dr. Howell said as he took the podium.

He went on to say that many times over the years, patient families told him they didn’t know where to go for care, and now any patient who walks through the door of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia will find physicians who are board-certified in many specialties.

“You get the best care without saying anything, and for that I am very proud,” he said.

The moment had been kept top-secret, even from many event organizers. Planners knew they were organizing a special recognition, but the identity and exact nature of the surprise was revealed to leaders on a need-to-know basis to avoid spoiling the surprise. Leaders who knew, agreed that this was just as it should be. After all, Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia would not exist without Dr. Howell’s steadfast advocacy.

There’s a well-known story that Dr. Howell offhandedly mentioned the need for a children’s hospital to a patient’s father—a spark that would lead to securing the necessary funding only a few years later. Dr. Howell did not know the comment was made to the chief aide to Rep. Tom Murphy, then Speaker of the Georgia House of Representatives. Ten years later, the children’s hospital was a reality.

Dr. Howell was also instrumental in designing the hospital, involving children and families in the process to ensure their needs were met. Children’s Medical Center, now Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia, opened in 1998 and expanded pediatric inpatient capacity from 32 to 154 beds. Dr. Howell is one of Georgia’s greatest advocates for children’s healthcare.

As part of the celebration, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson read a proclamation declaring Oct. 13 “Dr. Charles Howell Day,” and presented him with a plaque.

Wellstar MCG Health President Ralph Turner also thanked Dr. Howell for his dedication and service to Georgia’s children.

“When someone dedicates their lives to taking care of our children and only makes one profound statement that grows into an entire facility—and he dedicates 40 years of his life taking care of children—this, today, just feels right,” Turner said.

As a pediatric surgeon, Dr. Howell has performed more than 16,000 procedures. He graduated from Medical College of Georgia in 1973 and, following a pediatric surgery residency at a children’s hospital in Philadelphia, returned to Augusta to practice.

In addition to operating on nearly 400 children each year, Dr. Howell started a pediatric ECMO program and a pediatric trauma program. He also served as capital campaign co-chair to assist in bringing Ronald McDonald House to its current location—only steps from Wellstar Children's Hospital of Georgia.

In 2018, following his 40-year surgical career, Dr. Howell retired as surgeon-in-chief of the children's hospital and chief of the department of surgery for Wellstar MCG Health. He returned to the health system in 2019 as the head of the hospital’s physician practice group.

The lobby of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia was the first large renovation project at the children’s hospital since it was built in 1998. The renovation includes new flooring, removal of an old fountain and updated furniture. A donor wall has also been installed to recognize the generous donors who help the hospital fulfill its mission of providing patient- and family-centered care for every family who seeks care at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia dedicates new lobby to pioneering Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Charles Howell
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Panelists speaking at Health Connect South 2025

Newsroom

Catalyst by Wellstar Joins Health Connect South to Drive Healthcare Innovation

ATLANTA – Healthcare leaders from across the Southeast convened at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta Wednesday for the 12th annual Health Connect South summit, a high-energy gathering that showcased the region’s brightest minds and boldest ideas in health innovation.

The summit drew hundreds of professionals from across the healthcare spectrum—from hospital systems and research institutions to startups and government agencies—all united by a shared mission: to advance health through collaboration.

One of the day’s standout sessions was the panel “Innovation and the Changing Face of Healthcare Delivery,” which brought together a dynamic mix of voices leading change in the industry. The panel featured Moses Ike, venture principal at Catalyst by Wellstar; Jesse Goodwin, PhD, chief innovation officer at the Medical University of South Carolina; and Chris Lee, chairman, CEO and co-founder of Huxley Medical. The discussion was moderated by Greg Jungles, HealthTech catalyst at Georgia Tech’s Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC).

The conversation tackled some of the most pressing questions in healthcare today: How do we deliver care more efficiently? How can startups and health systems work together to scale innovation? And what role does venture capital play in shaping the next generation of health solutions?

“Innovation isn’t just about the latest app or device—it’s about reimagining how we care for people,” said Ike. “It’s about building systems that are smarter, faster and more compassionate.” 

As principal of venture at Catalyst by Wellstar, Ike is at the forefront of healthcare investment strategy. He leads efforts to identify and support early-stage startups that are tackling real-world challenges in health-tech, healthcare services and business efficiency, including Rheaply, CalmWave and Gabbi.

“We’re not just investing in companies—we’re investing in the future of care,” Ike added. 

Catalyst by Wellstar, launched by Wellstar Health System, manages a $100 million venture fund, making it one of the largest early-stage, multi-sector healthcare corporate venture funds in the country. The fund is designed to fuel cross-industry solutions that can transform how care is delivered, accessed and experienced.

Throughout the panel, speakers emphasized the Southeast’s growing role as a hub for health innovation. From Atlanta’s thriving startup ecosystem to Charleston’s research-driven medical community, the region is increasingly seen as fertile ground for bold ideas and scalable solutions.

“This panel showcased the incredible momentum in our region—from academic institutions to venture-backed startups—all working together to transform healthcare,” said Jungles.

Known as the largest healthcare gathering in the Southeast, Health Connect South has built a reputation as a launchpad for new partnerships and transformative conversations. This year’s theme centered on breaking down silos and building bridges across disciplines to shape the future of care.

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