In Latoya Jordan’s world, “family comes first” is more than a mantra. It’s a way of life, as a wife and mother raising four fearless daughters.
While living in New York, Latoya learned how to be strong, determined and face challenges head-on—lessons she now instills in her own children. These traits proved useful when the Jordans resettled in the South at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
But between the big move and preparing the girls for virtual school, Latoya found it difficult to squeeze in any "me time." Caring for her little ones often led to putting her own health last.
However, with two different heart conditions—a murmur and high blood pressure—the mother needed tailored care to live her fullest life.
With the help of Wellstar, Latoya got expert care to stay heart healthy, right in her new neighborhood. But beyond that, she found a trusted healthcare family that had her covered when it came to her well-being.
LatoyaCare
Published on February 13, 2025
Last updated 11:30 AM February 13, 2025
As a busy mom, I don’t have a lot of time to myself, but I wanted to be healthier for my kids and family. Now, I have my heart murmur and high blood pressure under control, and I’m going to live a long time.
- Latoya Jordan
Wellstar Heart Care Patient
Listen to Latoya's Story
Finding care during COVID-19
When the Jordans moved over 900 miles from New York to Georgia, they looked forward to catching up with family and never missing a Double Dutch jump rope match again. But COVID-19 quickly changed their plans.
“We moved at the beginning of the pandemic. It was hard getting to know a new area, but we made it. My kids couldn’t go to school for the first year,” Latoya said, explaining the stressful time.
“At the start, I didn’t have a doctor or insurance either,” she said. And, because her previous care team was based in New York, she also went without her prescription medicine for a period of time.
But when she started experiencing headaches and minor chest pains, Latoya knew it was time to get care for her heart murmur and high blood pressure.
After establishing a primary care clinician, Latoya was quickly connected with specialty care at Wellstar Avalon Health Park. The mother of four was grateful to get safe care during the pandemic.
“I wasn’t afraid to go to the doctor. I was thankful to be able to get care,” Latoya said about getting treatment when she needed it most.
Here, Wellstar Cardiologist Dr. Natasha Mamdani partnered with Latoya to create a personalized treatment plan for her cardiac conditions and keep her heart healthy.
One-of-a-kind heart care
Ever since the beginning, Dr. Mamdani has been committed to creating a care plan centered around Latoya’s unique needs.
“Latoya was initially diagnosed with hypertension during her last pregnancy. After giving birth, her symptoms improved,” Dr. Mamdani said, explaining the mother’s situation. “However, she developed high blood pressure months later.”
“This can be quite common. When someone has gestational hypertension, it can often lead to having hypertension later in life,” Dr. Mamdani said.
Because of the hectic move and gap in care after leaving the Empire State, Latoya went without her medications for a few months, which caused uncontrolled hypertension.
To bring her blood pressure back down to a normal level, Dr. Mamdani prescribed heart medications that would work best for Latoya and monitored her closely. She created a tailored care plan to keep the mother feeling her best.
“Every single patient is different. Latoya’s treatment plan was built around what did and didn’t work for her,” Dr. Mamdani said about how she used PeopleCare in her approach.
“I took my blood pressure three times a day,” Latoya said, describing the plan to get her heart health under control. “Dr. Mamdani worked with me to find the right medications and dosage. I saw her every two weeks to make sure my levels were going down.”
Along with specialized care, Latoya found compassion and support from team members every time she stopped at Wellstar Avalon Health Park.
“At Wellstar, everyone is very friendly and kind. They make you feel welcome,” Latoya shared. “When I go to my appointments, everyone knows my name and remembers who I am. It feels like we’re family and we’ve known each other for a long time.”
After just a handful of visits, her blood pressure was back under control. But even with Latoya’s quick success, Dr. Mamdani encouraged her to make lasting changes to stay well in the long run.
Leaving the comfort zone
Along with medicines to manage her heart conditions, Dr. Mamdani also gave Latoya a “prescription” for health. This meant forming new, healthier habits for diet and exercise.
“When it comes to heart health, staying active is important even if it’s just walking 20 to 30 minutes a day,” Dr. Mamdani explained. “It’s also helpful to eat a diet low in carbs and animal fats like red meat.”
Having the support of the Wellstar family has been crucial during Latoya’s new wellness journey. She has learned different ways to manage her heart conditions and how to have fun along the way.
“Before trying a new food, we always do a little taste test first,” Latoya smiled. “So far, my favorite healthy food is asparagus. Our whole family loves it.”
She added, “We even have ‘Vegan Mondays’ to try a new vegan meal each week.”
With her busy schedule, Latoya has made it a point to prioritize her health needs. She is focusing on finding exercises she enjoys and doing them whenever she can.
“It’s hard to fit in exercise, but I’m trying my best,” Latoya said. “I enjoy riding my bike outside, visiting trails and new dog parks.”
All of Latoya’s willpower has led to real changes in her health.
“After finding the right medications and monitoring her diet and exercise changes, Latoya’s blood pressure is now well controlled,” Dr. Mamdani said. “I am happy with her results.”
“For physicians, it’s our job to present information in a way patients understand and are able to take home the lessons we teach them,” the cardiologist said about her role in Latoya’s journey.
Along with healthy habits, Latoya has discovered another important lesson: taking care of her own wellness needs to be there for her family longer.
“As a busy mom, I don’t have a lot of time to myself, but I wanted to be healthier for my kids and family,” Latoya said, sharing how her loved ones became her motivation.
“Now, I have my heart murmur and high blood pressure under control, and I’m going to live a long time.”
Moving forward, Latoya’s future and heart health look brighter than ever, especially with her Wellstar family by her side.
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PeopleCare
KathyCare
Kathy DeJoseph delights in making and giving away thousands of soft and cheerful hats to Wellstar cancer patients through a nonprofit she founded called Happy Caps. It’s all in the name of bringing a little light and comfort to people during a hard time.
Where did the idea come from? It started with Kathy’s own lung cancer diagnosis.
A commitment to yearly lung cancer screening
A cancer survivor for more than a decade, Kathy said regular lung cancer screenings were the key to her survival. With a long history of smoking and growing up around relatives who smoked, she decided to join an early detection lung cancer study at Wellstar.
Even though she felt fine and had no symptoms, committing to the study meant having an annual low-dose CT scan every year. After several years of clean scans with no signs of lung cancer, Kathy told a nurse that she was going to quit. But the nurse persuaded her to come in for another screening.
“Thank goodness she did,” Kathy said. “I was diagnosed the very next day.”
Quick and efficient treatment at the STAT Clinic
Being a part of the study and getting screened early allowed Kathy to move immediately to Wellstar Lung Cancer STAT Clinic at Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center.
STAT stands for Specialty Teams and Treatment, highlighting the collaboration of multiple cancer experts. Together, they come to a consensus on a treatment plan and meet with the patient on the same day. This puts the patients at the center of their care plan, allowing them and their families to get immediate answers to questions, make decisions and start treatment faster.
“The biggest benefit for me with the way the STAT Clinic works is that I didn’t have to worry about whether the doctors had actually talked to each other,” Kathy said. “They’d come in one after another and tell me what they thought from their expertise.”
Immediate communication and mutual agreement among medical experts mean treatment plans are established and started faster, which is proven to improve long-term survival. On average, it takes 60 to 90 days from the time of diagnosis to treatment in the U.S. With the STAT Clinic at Wellstar, patients go from diagnosis to treatment in 14 to 20 days.
Kathy’s treatment started quickly—she had a lung biopsy the day after her STAT Clinic appointment and started chemotherapy a week later.
“I wasn’t as terrified for as long as most people are because I had answers within a short period of time,” Kathy remembered.
She had surgery once she completed chemotherapy. Throughout the process, she had the support of an entire cancer team, including a medical oncologist, a lung cancer surgeon, a pulmonologist and a nurse navigator.
Highlights
Live to the Beat Powered by Wellstar: Celebrating a Year of Impact
What began as a bold idea—bringing cardiovascular health education into the heart of our communities—has now culminated in a joyful, music-filled celebration that honored the success of a powerful one-year pilot program of Live to the Beat at First Baptist Church East Point and Mount Olive Seventh Day Adventist Church. From inception to execution, this journey has been a testament to what can happen when community, clinical partners and courageous participants come together with one mission: to live longer, stronger, healthier lives—one beat at a time.
Final Class Check-In & Celebration
We opened our final sessions with a check-in, inviting participants to reflect on how they’ve been incorporating their support networks into daily life since our “A Family Affair” class. Their stories affirmed the power of connection and the importance of surrounding yourself with people who help you thrive.
After the check-in, we transitioned into a formal celebration that included:
- A brief agenda to thank everyone—from stakeholders and service line leaders to our participants and guest speakers
- A powerful recap of success metrics from each church
- A joyful closing moment that quite literally had everyone “living to the beat” with music, dancing and smiles all around!
Mount Olive: Setting the Bar High
With 18 dedicated members, Mount Olive consistently exceeded expectations:
- 90% average attendance
- 100% 5-star rating in both knowledge gained and overall satisfaction
- 82% reported positive behavior change in daily life
- 61% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Three participants shared that their clinicians reduced the dosage or number of their medications
- Two reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
From their energy in the classroom to their commitment at home, Mount Olive’s cohort has become a model of what’s possible when knowledge meets action.
First Baptist: Stepping Boldly into Wellness
With 14 committed participants, First Baptist brought steady engagement and deep personal growth:
- 74% average attendance
- 80% reported positive behavior change
- 43% saw improvements in their average blood pressure readings
- Two participants reported a reduction in medication dosage or number
- Three reported more regular visits to their doctors since joining the program
- 4.69 rating in knowledge gained and overall rating of 4.77 out of 5
Their thoughtful conversations, openness to growth and willingness to step outside their comfort zones truly made this cohort shine. And yes—we danced our way into what’s next.
Looking Ahead: The Beat Continues with Art Pharmacy
While the classroom sessions have come to a close, our participants’ journey is far from over. As a next step, all graduates will now enter the next phase of Live to the Beat through our new partnership with Art Pharmacy—a social prescribing organization that connects individuals to arts and culture-based experiences to support long-term health and well-being.
Graduates will receive one “social prescription” per month for the next six months, focusing on connection, creativity and continued wellness. This phase was designed with intention—to ensure the momentum continues beyond the classroom and into real life.
We’ll also be conducting a 6-month follow-up to evaluate how behavior changes have been sustained over time, using lessons learned to inform the next cohort launching in September.
National Impact: CDC Foundation & LTTB Ambassadors
We were honored to have representatives from the CDC Foundation join our final celebrations to share how graduates can become Live to the Beat Ambassadors for the national campaign. Many participants expressed excitement about using their voice to inspire others to begin their heart health journeys too—a beautiful full-circle moment of community-led change.
One Chapter Ends, A Movement Continues
As we officially close out this year-long pilot, we stand in awe of what was accomplished—and energized for what’s ahead. To our participants: thank you for your courage and commitment. To our partners, service line leaders and supporters: thank you for believing in the vision.
Together, we proved that heart health isn’t just clinical—it’s cultural, communal and deeply personal. And as we prepare for the next chapter, one thing is certain: The beat goes on… and it’s only getting stronger.
PeopleCare
BillyCare
William “Billy” Gerace, a retired man in Mableton, found himself progressively restricted by severe emphysema. Dependent on oxygen, it was tough to find the breath and the energy to work in his garage. Then he found out about BLVR, a procedure that would change his lungs—and his life—for the better. Now he spends his days breathing new life into classic cars. Billy’s story highlights the power of expert care and leading-edge treatments at Wellstar, and our commitment to help people get back to doing what they love.
Slowed down by an oxygen tank
For Billy, the simplest of movements became Herculean tasks. The man who loved tinkering in his garage found himself slowed down by an oxygen tank and dependent on his wife, Patty, to help him move it from room to room.
“I couldn’t walk 20 feet without the hose on my nose,” Billy said. “I couldn’t go from the living room to the kitchen without oxygen. That’s how bad it was.”
Billy suffered from emphysema, a severe type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The inability to work in his garage on his collection of vehicles—including a '69 Corvette convertible—was heartbreaking.
“I’d have to do five minutes’ worth of work—then catch my breath,” he remembered. “It took me a very long time to do anything. A project that would normally take an hour took two days. I had to sit dormant most of the time.”
Billy had managed this condition for years with prescription medication and pulmonary rehabilitation, but in the final months leading to his procedure, he had the impression that his life was fading with every gasp of air.