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Article Category: Newsroom

Georgians Uplift Rural Communities Through Tax Credit Program

Published on May 09, 2022

Last updated 02:15 PM May 09, 2022

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Access to care close to home is something many take for granted until that care is no longer available. Georgia’s rural hospitals provide critical care to residents when and where they need it. However, industry shifts and economic challenges have forced many rural hospitals to close their doors, forcing millions of people to commute — some for hours — to receive the care they need. 

Recognizing this strain on rural hospitals and the communities they serve, the Georgia legislature launched the Georgia Rural Hospital Tax Credit program. Through this program, Georgia taxpayers receive a 100% state income tax credit on contributions made to qualifying rural hospitals such as Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital. 

100% state tax credit limits: up to $5,000 for an individual filer, up to $10,000 for married and filing jointly, for owners of pass-through organizations up to $10,000 and may qualify for a federal tax deduction as an ordinary and necessary business expense. New through HB 149: C-Corporations or Trusts and Pass-Through Organizations Filing as an Entity- 100% of the amount contributed or 75% of the organizations Georgia income tax liability, whichever is less. Plus, qualify for the federal deduction and no longer be required to claim any business purpose for the payment besides satisfying the entity’s Georgia tax liability.

Dollars making a difference

As in past years, contribution limits will be removed on July 1, 2022. Given recent enhancements and increased interest, the program is anticipated to reach its $60 million cap soon after the contribution limits are removed, making now a pivotal time for Sylvan Grove donors to pre-register for unlimited contributions. By registering your contribution early, you help ensure facilities like Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital receive the assistance they need.

Starting May 16, 2022 at 9 a.m., our administrative partner — Georgia HEART— will accept pre-registrations to be loaded on a first-come-first-serve basis once the limits are removed. The Wellstar Foundation is offering to assist Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital contributors with this pre-registration process. Contact the Foundation at [email protected] for assistance or click here to pre-register directly with Georgia HEART on May 16, 2022.

Since 2016, Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital has received a total of $10 million through this program. As facilitated through the Wellstar Foundation, every dollar has accelerated critical upgrades, including a full renovation of the hospital’s emergency department, radiology department expansion and leading-edge innovation, such as advanced CT scanning technology, that enhances physicians’ abilities to make better-informed medical decisions.

Providing PeopleCare

Advancements in treatments and technology benefit the residents of Butts County — patients like Mary “Lee” Nelson, a retired Butts County teacher who turned to Wellstar Sylvan Grove Hospital’s outpatient rehabilitation center for post-surgical physical therapy. The outpatient center was recently renovated with state-of-the-art equipment made possible through tax credit program contributions.

The former elementary grade teacher spends her retirement days traveling with her husband Bill, tending to her flower gardens and caring for her chickens. With such an active lifestyle, when Lee learned that she needed a knee replacement in 2021, she knew her local hospital would be able to provide the high-quality, compassionate care needed to get her back on her feet safely and quickly. Now, a few months after completing her physical therapy, Lee shares that she “feels normal again” and able to enjoy all the things that once brought her life so much joy.

How you can help

Through corporate and community partnership, the Wellstar Foundation is fueling innovation and action to address the vital needs of diverse communities in Georgia, including urban, suburban and rural communities. Wellstar is committed to delivering world-class healthcare to everyone close to home. Philanthropic support of the Wellstar Foundation is advancing innovation and expanding resources to create a healthier Georgia for all. To learn more, visit wellstar.org/foundation or contact the Wellstar Foundation at (770) 956-GIVE (4483).

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Newsroom

Wellstar scales up emotional intelligence training using VR technology

This month Wellstar Health System announced it is extending its partnership with Moth+Flame to further utilize its virtual reality (VR) training technology throughout the enterprise.

Moth+Flame is an award-winning VR communication technology developer and premier enterprise-grade immersive learning provider offering innovative and adaptive learning programs for mastering technical and cognitive skills. Their platform includes content focused on emotional intelligence. When learners put on their headsets, they inhabit and interact with immersive simulated environments. They decide in the moment how to respond and see for themselves the impact their words and decisions have on others—and reflect on how to improve. Trainees receive an empathy rating score at the end of their session.

Last May, Catalyst by Wellstar led Wellstar’s first-ever VR-based leadership development training in collaboration with Moth+Flame. This was Moth+Flame’s first healthcare partnership, and the use of this technology continues to expand within Wellstar’s enterprise.

Following the training, 97% of participants recommend the virtual learning experience to others. They also reported that the training reduced their anxiety around difficult conversations by 57%. As a result of the successful pilot, Wellstar decided to offer VR emotional intelligence training regularly.

“We believe strongly that immersive learning is the future of learning and builds more confidence through practice,” said Kevin Cornish, CEO and founder at Moth+Flame. “Using virtual reality puts you inside of a difficult conversation and gives you a chance to learn in a safe simulated environment.”

The VR emotional intelligence training encourages Wellstar’s employees to build composure and gain practical experience in a highly realistic scenario by navigating difficult conversations and testing resiliency in an emotionally charged environment. This experience helps Wellstar’s workforce develop strategies to build situational awareness and prioritize composure, critical thinking, and conscious emotional responses when engaging in triggering conversations.

By gaining conversational expertise and knowledge, Wellstar’s team will know how to respond in real scenarios with the confidence to interact appropriately and strategically.

“The realism within Moth+Flame's VR experiences, from using real-life actors, dramatically increases the emotional connection to the content and helps learners retain the information they learn. We are grateful for Moth+Flame's partnership in helping introduce VR to our leaders,” said Steven LeClercq, executive director of learning and onboarding at Wellstar Health System.

This use of innovation keeps Wellstar on the leading edge of training and team development, and the organization will continue to explore use cases for this technology within a clinical setting.

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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.

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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.

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