Importance of Colon Cancer Screening

Busloads of Columbia County high school students funneled through a purple and blue balloon archway into their future on Jan. 23. The 2026 Opportunity Summit was held at Columbia County School District’s Support Complex to showcase career opportunities and benefits available at Wellstar to students who will be looking for jobs in healthcare after graduation.

Juniors and seniors spoke with Wellstar and Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center leadership about careers in both direct patient care and the many fields that support it. With the opening of the new Wellstar Columbia County Medical Center this fall, Wellstar has many open roles in Grovetown as well as its Augusta hospital and clinics. Students could also explore open careers in any of Wellstar’s 11 hospitals.

Students also had the opportunity to learn about employee benefits Wellstar offers, such as free tuition for some critical fields. For Bella Weeks, a junior at Greenbrier High School, that’s a major draw. Weeks knew she wanted to become a nurse after an accident landed her mom in the intensive care unit. The nursing team patiently answered her questions and let her help care for her mom, changing bandages and assisting with her mom’s physical therapy. She knew she wanted to do that for others after graduating high school.

Working at Wellstar would allow Weeks to attend nursing school at Augusta University for free, meaning she could earn a degree without accruing student debt while building her career near her family. She said she appreciated the Opportunity Summit because it gave her a chance to ask questions and learn more about programs not only at Wellstar, but also at local colleges such as Augusta University and Augusta Technical College, which were also in attendance.

“I think it’s very important to hire people, start them young and help them walk into it. It’s really scary going to the healthcare world and just walking into it. Having a little bit of knowledge beforehand really helps,” Weeks said.

Brooks Smith, the director of career and college readiness for Columbia County Schools, said partnerships like the one with Wellstar enable the school system to offer students resources to begin their careers. They also benefit the community by encouraging students to stay in the area and helping them find jobs with local businesses. Those businesses, in turn, benefit from a pipeline to grow their workforce.

“(Partnerships) are really beneficial for our students because basically we’re handing them off to their next steps. For these students today who are obviously interested in a career in healthcare, it’s a logical opportunity for us to provide for these students. We’re certainly very thankful that Wellstar has been willing to really initiate some of these partnerships that we now have,” Smith said.

Evelyn Rosenthal, Wellstar vice president and chief learning officer, wanted students to leave knowing that Wellstar eagerly wants to hire them. She said many of today’s graduating seniors have certifications the health system is looking for, such as certified medical assistants, maintenance and HVAC credentials, and valuable hands-on experience.

“They’re coming out of school with the education and certifications that we need to employ them immediately,” she said. “Bottom line: Every student who comes in here today who wants a job, we’re committed to giving them one.”

On January 15, 2026, Wellstar Health System marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day through a powerful systemwide streaming event, viewed across hospitals, health parks, practices and offices via in-person watch parties and virtual access. Thousands of team members paused together to reflect, learn and recommit to service through a shared experience designed to unite the system.

Anchored by the theme “Carrying the Torch, Expanding the Dream: The Enduring Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King,” the program centered on Coretta Scott King’s essential, and often underrecognized, leadership. Beyond her role as partner and strategist in the Civil Rights Movement, Coretta Scott King founded The King Center, helped secure the establishment of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday and extended the movement globally through advocacy for peace, economic justice and human rights, including early and sustained support for LGBTQ+ equality. Her work underscored that the movement’s progress depended on courageous, collective leadership.

The streaming event featured a reflective musical performance by cellist Okorie Johnson and an interfaith prayer by Wellstar Director of Spiritual Health Rev. Sarah Murray. Wellstar President and CEO Ketul J. Patel offered opening remarks and kicked off a compelling conversation between Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center, and Monica Kaufman Pearson, former Atlanta news anchor and current host for Atlanta News First and Peachtree TV. Their dialogue explored the enduring relevance of both leaders’ teachings, emphasizing nonviolence as a guiding philosophy alongside unity, moral courage and action as essential to creating positive change. Wellstar Chief Human Resources Officer David A. Jones offered brief closing remarks as the executive sponsor of the event.

In keeping with the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy, Wellstar encourages team members to carry this work forward not only by participating in volunteer opportunities on MLK Day, but by engaging in service and advocacy throughout the year, reinforcing the ongoing commitment Wellstar has to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across the communities it serves.

The virtual program is available for on-demand viewing at https://youtu.be/bksp8gadNVM.

Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, and a leading healthcare philanthropist, announced today a historic $50 million investment in the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia (WCHOG), which is affiliated with Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. This transformative gift, the largest in Wellstar and WCHOG’s history, is part of his longstanding commitment to children’s hospitals across the country. In honor of his remarkable generosity, the hospital will be renamed the Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia.

Along with this generous financial support, WCHOG will join the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a national consortium of twelve leading children’s hospitals. Joining the alliance opens opportunities for new partnerships, expanded innovation and sharing best practices to further advance children’s health and wellness. Each hospital in the alliance remains independently owned and operated by their respective health systems. WCHOG is the only member hospital in all of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and North Carolina.

“We are deeply grateful to Mr. Golisano for his extraordinary gift to improve the health and well-being of children in Georgia and across the country. We are honored to be among the handful of hospitals nationwide that have earned his transformative support,” said Ketul J. Patel, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System. “Thanks to the power of philanthropy, we can expand the lasting impact of compassionate, innovative care to more children and families across Georgia and far beyond, today and for generations to come.”

“Children’s hospitals are essential to the health and future of our communities, and each one serves families with unique needs and challenges,” said Tom Golisano. “The team at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia has a deep commitment to advancing pediatric care, expanding access, and investing in innovation. I’m proud to support their work and to welcome them into the Golisano Children’s Alliance as we continue building a collaborative network focused on improving outcomes for children nationwide.”

The Wellstar Golisano Children’s Hospital of Georgia serves as Wellstar’s cornerstone for pediatric excellence, delivering advanced surgical specialties, intensive care units (NICU and PICU) and nationally recognized outcomes for high-acuity cases. This donation strengthens Wellstar’s position as a national leader in pediatric care, starting with the creation of a new, state-of-the-art Pediatric Cardiac intensive care unit.

There are 11 other hospitals in the Golisano Children’s Alliance, including new recipient Arkansas Children’s in Little Rock, Arkansas. Children’s hospitals that previously received donations and joined the Golisano Children’s Alliance include the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Buffalo (NY), the Golisano Children’s Hospital in Fort Myers, Fla., Penn State Health Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa., the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital in Lexington, Ky., and the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital in Baltimore, Md.

About Wellstar Health System
Wellstar personalizes the patient experience. We call it PeopleCare and it's only possible thanks to our 34,000 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 Augusta University’s 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.

About the Wellstar Foundation
Through corporate and community partnership, the Wellstar Foundation fuels innovation and action to address the vital needs of diverse communities in Georgia. As the philanthropic arm to Wellstar Health System, the Foundation is transforming healthcare by enhancing health equity, innovation and technology, behavioral health and workforce development. Every dollar donated funds the mission and initiatives addressing the most pressing healthcare needs in Georgia. To learn more, visit wellstar.org/foundation or call 770-956-GIVE (4483).

About Tom Golisano and The Golisano Foundation
Tom Golisano, — entrepreneur, philanthropist, and civic leader — is the founder of Paychex, Inc., the nation’s largest human resource company for small to medium-sized businesses. Mr. Golisano’s vision, perseverance, and action have left an indelible mark on a broad spectrum of issues that touch our lives in business, healthcare, education, animal welfare, voter policies, politics, and tax reform. His investments are advancing entrepreneurship and driving the success of numerous businesses and start-ups. His philanthropic contributions to education, hospitals - including multiple children’s hospitals across the country that bear his name and numerous other organizations exceed $1 billion.

A fierce advocate for dignity and inclusion, in 1985 Tom Golisano applied his pioneering spirit to establish the Golisano Foundation to make the world a better place for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With more than $120 million in gross assets, it is one of the largest private foundations in the U.S. devoted to supporting programs for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities awarding grants to non-profit organizations in Western New York and Southwest Florida.

In 2025, Mr. Golisano launched the Golisano Children’s Alliance, a national initiative that provides strategic funding and brings together children’s hospitals across the United States to elevate pediatric care by expanding services, strengthening collaboration, and ensuring that children and families have access to the highest quality medical attention close to home. Together, Alliance members are building a nationally recognized network that exemplifies excellence, dignity, and innovation in pediatric health care.

About Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia

Located in the historic city of Augusta and across regional campuses throughout the state, Augusta University is Georgia’s designated health sciences and medical research university. Through an innovative partnership with Wellstar Health System, Augusta University is home to Georgia’s only public academic medical center, expanding the university’s reach and impact in clinical care, medical education, and research.

With 11 colleges and schools, AU offers a comprehensive academic enterprise anchored by the state’s first medical school—established in 1828—and one of the nation’s largest by class size, the Medical College of Georgia. The university is also home to Georgia’s only dental school, the Dental College of Georgia, as well as the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center, a national hub for cybersecurity education, training, and innovation.